


Rather Be

by Creativedoodle



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: But i really don't know, College AU, I hope you enjoy it though., Little bit NSFW, M/M, Mainly jeanmarco with background springles, but yeah, hurray, just a tad, lil bit of comedy too, mainly fluff, this fic grew into a monster that i don't understand anymore
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-25
Updated: 2014-05-25
Packaged: 2018-01-26 11:51:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 23,403
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1687295
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Creativedoodle/pseuds/Creativedoodle
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Pushed together by Connie and Sasha (who have taken it as their duty to find a new boyfriend for their room-mate), Jean and Marco meet in possibly one of the most awkward ways. Fortunately, instead of it remaining awkward, their relationship develops until it goes a little further than expected via the means of karaoke to the radio in the car.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Hectic Introductions

**Author's Note:**

> Enjoy the springles mischief and let the awkwardness follow.

Marco Bodt, A five foot eleven man, twenty one years of age, dark haired and freckled with a kind temperament, stood off to the side of Trost University's main campus canteen, feeling a little cornered if he was honest with himself. He was there with his best friends and room-mates, and as usual they had been a handful. So much so they had broken loose of Marco's attempts to calm them down and were now taking control of the conversation and running rampant. He had been single for a few months now and it seemed that this was now the hot topic of the conversation that he, Connie and Sasha were having. Emphasis on 'were' and emphasis on 'Connie and Sasha'. It felt a little like an interrogation on Marco's end now, with the troublesome two firing questions at him, most of them innocent... some of them, not so much. But thankfully the not-so-innocent questions hadn't reared their head. Yet. 

"Do you have your eye on anyone?" His burgundy-haired room-mate asked, energetically.

"No, Sasha I-" Marco says, trying to finish a sentence for the first time in ten minutes.

"We will help you find one." Connie cuts in with a comment, totally out of the blue and Marco shoots him a confused glare before shaking his head manically. He's not really sure what to do any more, he knows that he is battling the unstoppable force that is his room-mates, mid rant... but he also knows that he has to stop this before it gets too far...

" _It is already too far and has been for ages._ " Marco thinks to himself. " _I do not need them finding me a boyfriend_.  _I don't even want a boyfriend._ " It's true, his last break-up had been bad and he wasn't mentally prepared for another one just yet.

Connie grins at him and turns back to Sasha and frowns a little when he sees Sasha's face already adorning a frown.

"Actually... Connie... Maybe we shouldn't find him someone... Remember his last boyfriend?" She says, a tone of mock scarring in her voice. The grey haired boy pauses for a second before he can recall. He frowns then his confusion clears, leaving realisation clearly painted on his face, only to be quickly washed over by a mixture of horror and amusement.

He shares that look with her that lets her know that he is remembering the exact thing.

"It was hard to sleep wasn't it?" He asks Sasha bluntly and Marco blushes instantly, already picking up on the direction that the topic is heading. They both shoot him a cruel grin and Marco scowls, crinkles furrowing through his freckled forehead, his wide brown eyes narrowing.

" _They are never going to let me forget this are they?_ " He thinks a little exasperatedly. Why couldn't he learn to control his voice? He was sure that he had woken the residents of the neighbouring flats with the cries of his ex-boyfriends name. Never mind Connie and Sasha, who slept in the second bedroom of their shared flat, only one thin wall away.

Sasha nods at Connie's question and deadpans.

"His sex must have been great though, for Marco to be THAT loud." And with that Marco's scowl disappears, clearly having no effect on them and he turns a deep shade of pink, his skin darkening to slowly match the shade of the freckles on his face, cheeks burning and heat slowly creeping up his neck.

" _If I let them carry on like this, they'll get distracted and forget asking me about boys... but they will keep on talking about... This... And I don't think that I can put up with this much more._ " Marco realises as he considers his options, tuning out the noisy conversation about his ex.

" _Either I let them carry on this conversation and risk serious humiliation... **Again**... or I intervene and risk them returning to the topic of boys.._."

He decides, after careful consideration, that his best course of action would be to intervene.

Just in time too.

"Hey, how big do you think his d-" Connie is asking when Marco comes to his 'Nick-of-time' conclusion

"GUYS! can we please not talk about this?" He interrupts, shouting a little, desperately. His eyes squeezed shut from the yell, as if he had just set of an explosion at their feet. He opens his eyes and looks up, surprised he managed to finish a sentence. Connie looks disappointedly at Sasha who pouts back, their fun ruined. But they know that, when Marco shouts, it's kind of serious.

Marco takes a deep breath and sighs.

" _That was too close for comfort_ " His mind repeats to itself as a silence settles over the three. His mind, unfortunately is currently running on a false sense of security as he discovers when Connie, spirits lifted from a little idea he seemed to gain during the silence asking very boldly and loudly.

"My dear Ms Braus, Whatever should we do now?!" His high class accent clipping the end of each word. He looks pointedly at Marco, who feels, once again, like cornered fox in a hunt. 

Marco pales as he glances at Sasha see's her looking at Connie with that look. The look that they both know what the other is thinking.

Sasha grins and responds, equally loud, equally bold, equal high class accent wearing her voice.

"Mr Springer. I do believe we should find Mr Bodt a date." She announces and joins the pointed stare towards Marco and he feels himself shrink back a little, willing himself out of existence, just a little. He was hoping for a break since he stopped their last conversation, but he knew, deep down, that it was in vain from the beginning and wasn't surprised to see his hopes shattered like that. His room-mates had a tendency to do that to him during conversations, just as it looked like things were back under control. One of the two would pull something from their sleeve and they would be plunged into chaos again.

"Guys, please I don't need a da-" He tries to grab the reigns of the conversation before it bolted but Sasha beats him too it.

"Are you sure?" she interjects, cutting him off once again. Marco had lost count of the times she had done this to him today.

"Yes I'm su-"

"Aren't you lonel-" Connie tries.

"No I am not, now could you please stop with these questions!?" Marco blurts out, curtly, speaking quickly to stop the flow of queries coming from the two interrogators he calls his best friends. Sasha pouts once again and Connie joins in this time, locking eachother in a subconscious pout-off. After a couple of seconds of pouting and glaring at one another, Sasha admits defeat and surrenders.

"Oh okay fine I'll sto-...Oooh wait a second, I'll be right back" She changes course, seeing something behind Connie that neither him nor Marco have noticed. And with that, Sasha bounds off into a throng of people in the canteen. Marco looks at Connie who just shrugs, expression contorted in confusion. Genuinely as surprised as Marco.

"Wha-?" Marco begins to ask but it dies on his tongue and instead, he simply thinks...

" _I am not even going to bother trying to understand her..._ "

He needn't have asked, really, because seconds later she comes back to the two confused boys, returning with her arm linked with another arm. The arm of a tall, handsome guy... Marco's face drains it's colour, leaving the freckles standing stark on his cheeks.

" _Oh no... did she just... Please tell me she isn't going to matchmake us._ " Marco pleads silently, he knows Sasha too well.

"Ok, so, I only need to borrow you for a second. Why don't you introduce yourself?" Sasha says animately, before introducing the others. Turning to Marco.

" _What is she doing?_ " He ponders a little, trying to ease himself away from the edgy discomfort creeping over him.

"This is Marco Bodt, a quiet, shy type, single, very freckly, friendly etcetera". Marco notices the stranger raise an eyebrow at 'Single', their eyes meet and the stranger smirks a little, cocky in the face of confusion... still seeming a little bemused by the situation, however.

"And this is Connie Springer. My partner in crime, he is  _Not_  single, you stay away from him. And I am Sasha Braus, also not single." She winks at Connie who winks back and then she adds, randomly.

"I'm also quite hungry. Anyway, introduce yourself." She pokes the tall guy in the side. He flinches a little from the pressure point and frowns momentarily. Marco can't help but admit that he is actually really hot. He is about Marco's height, one or two inches shorter. Odd two tone hair, in an undercut style, fair on top with dark brown roots. Sharp, deep gold eyes that seemed to pierce whatever they looked at... at the moment it was Marco's eyes being pierced and he felt himself blush under the gaze. It also turned out that the stranger had a dazzling smile when it showed. He was also quite toned, from what Marco could see of his bare forearms. He seems to have a scene style to him. Black beanie on his head, red and black flannel shirt, black skinny jeans and some black leather boots. The style works... actually really well on him...

" _I am looking slash staring to much and it's not good for me._ " Marco concludes, unable to tear his eyes away from some part of the new guy, every so often he would look at the strangers eyes and notice that they are also on him... he blushes every time.

" _He is looking at me and I'm staring at him... That's really embarrassing... Maybe if I stopped staring then I wouldn't be so embarrassed... But he is really hot...Maybe he is staring back but I highly doubt it._ "

"Um... Hi, I'm Jean Kirschtein. I have no idea what's going on, I am not freckly, hungry or anything, I am not generally shy or quiet but I like to think that I am friendly... I am also single" He adds with confidence.

Marco looks at him when he introduces himself and is shocked to find that Jean's eyes are mostly on him. He blushes because his body deems it acceptable to blush at every possible moment in front of a hot guy. Jean, however does not break eye contact when he announces that he is single and Marco, subconsciously hopes that it was subtly directed at. Then he notices a flicker of a wink from Jean and he thinks he might genuinely swoon.

" _This is too much, I can't... did he say he was single to me?! Was that a wink... Is he hitting on me? I doubt it, I haven't said anything yet. He doesn't even know me... But what if he is? I'm not ready for a boyfriend... But... He is really hot and he seems nice enough..._ " He smiles shyly in return to the supposed wink, blushing a little too much for his own good. Jean smiles a small yet bright smile as he catches onto Marco's flushed cheeks, he looks a little victorious, but.

" _Ok yeah he is hot, I've noticed that, and he seems nice, I've noticed that already too... But... Jean? French, I like that... It sounds nice and exotic... Wait, what am I doing? I have only just met him and I am not interested in dating._ " He scolds himself...

" _Who am I kidding? I would totally date him..._ " He thinks but doesn't get too much more time to ponder, however, as Sasha speaks up, walking in small circles with a finger raised to her chin.

"Ok Jean, You are probably wondering why I brought you here?" To which Jean nods.

"Right, well to be brutally honest, Marco really is single and he is looking for a boyfriend". Both Marco and Jean turn their heads to stare at Sasha, who seems unfazed by the two pairs of eyes glaring at her.

" _I KNEW IT_ " His mind screams at him but he can only manage a small awkward squeak.

"Sasha No-" he tries to intervene but Sasha just talks over him, determined to get her 'Plan' Across. She looks at Connie who is now, clearly, on-board with the whole idea.

"And when I saw you from over here, I thought to myself 'Oh Sasha, he would be perfect for our lonely, lonely Marco'. So I brought you over here and now here you are, congratulations on your new boyfriend Jean." Jean looks over to Marco, his eyes wide and his expression confused and shocked and Marco can do nothing else but to return that look, feeling panicky inside. Marco tries, in a last ditch attempt, to stop this entire thing.

"Sasha please stop th-" But Sasha just grins at him, the triumphant expression makes it known that she has won this situation and there is no way that Marco can change her mind, so he turns back to Jean and attempts to fix this another way.  
  
"Look I'm sorry about th-"

"Now KISS" Connie yells suddenly and Sasha takes that as a cue to push Jean quite forcefully into Marco, his hands fly to Jeans chest to brace the impact as much as possible and for a moment he thinks.

" _Muscly_ " As his hands press up against Jean's firm torso Before they crash together.

It would be alright if Jean and Marco had a drastically  height difference, but as it were. When the hot stranger known as Jean collided with him, it turned out neither had the chance to duck or turn their head and their faces crashed together, rather painfully. They stumble backwards a little, Their faces glued together from the force of Sasha's shove. This would have been easily less embarrassing if they weren't around the same height, so when their faces crashed together. So did their mouths, the slight height difference making their lips almost slot together.

" _Oh my god, we are kissing... okay this isn't really kissing but he is hot and I am counting this as kissing... my face hurts._ " Marco thinks, his heart racing and his mind swirling. The momentum carrying them backwards lessens and they come to a stop against the back wall of the canteen yet Marco notices a small moment where Jean stays there, he could easily have pushed away in that moment but he lingers for a few extra moments before he pushes away, looking incredibly flushed and flustered.

" _I probably look worse... was I imagining him lingering there? Or did he really... No I certainly noticed that small amount of time that was actual kissing not falling..._ " Marco thinks, a little dazed before he shakes his head, trying to clear his thoughts. He looks up at Jean, who looks quite...

" _What is the word here?_ "

Dumbfounded... He looks like he is ready to run away. Marco panics and can only one thing.

"I'm so sorry". He whispers, apologising for his friends behaviour and the unexpected kiss. Jean looks up at him and mumbles "Yeah... um... sorry about that." Before he turns and walks briskly away. Marco can't help but watch him as he leaves, eyes on the back of his new crush... He sighs a little, Jean seemed nice enough... maybe they could have been friends? He turns back to Connie and Sasha who have been watching intently, fists bunched at their chests in anticipation, for the entire duration of the event. He sighs a little, out of regret, but mostly out of disappointment in his room-mates.

"Sasha why did you do that?" He asks, tone indicating that he is tired of this and that, maybe, she has gone to far.

" _After doing this to me, they both deserve a little scolding._ " he reasons, She looks like she is about answer but he cuts her off for the first time that day. 

"It was mean to do that to him, he had no idea who we were, or why he was brought over here, rather suddenly by a food mad girl. He was probably confused. He definitely is now. He probably thinks I'm weird, he was nice, funny, hot and now he thinks that I'm weird."

He is so visibly done by the entire situation that Connie actually, physically shies away from him and Sasha looks a little nervous and most definitely a little ashamed too. He is never angry, not really, but this situation has driven him to just a little more than frustration. Fine yes, he had a 'kiss' with some hot guy, but there was absolutely no way to recover from that. And it was all Sasha and Connie's fault, and he wasn't about to let them off.

"Thanks for that Sasha... And you!" He end then turns to Connie.

"Why did you encourage her? It was bad enough her trying to matchmake us when we hadn't actually talked to each other before but then shouting 'Now kiss' was just over the line. Who knows, maybe after you introduced us and just left us too it, we may have gotten along, but shoving us together was not going to help." He breathes a deep breath after his rant, eyeing Connie, who is sagging from his scolding and Sasha, who looks so ashamed that if she had a tail, it would most certainly be between her legs.

" _Right, that seems to have put them in their place._ " He thinks as he looks at his two best friends who are now looking at their shoes. " _Maybe they will think twice before pulling something like this again._ " he hopes. He knows that his small scolding will have at least some lasting effect. He looks from his friends to the clock on the wall and nods to himself.

"Now that is done, Connie, Sasha, I have to go to my next lecture, I'll see you back at the apartment, later" And with that he sets off to said next lecture, leaving a disgruntled and surprisingly quiet couple behind him.


	2. Accidentally Fallen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marco's active imagination does him no favours...

Sat in his lecture, Marco was becoming bored very quickly. He was majoring in Botany and, overall, he enjoyed it. It was fun, learning about plants, all their species and all of their genetics... but this lecture. This lecture was so dull, it was about a thing called 'Meristems'. He had learned about meristems a while back and he didn't need a review on them... but unfortunately he got one anyway, he knew what he was being told and distraction was becoming a very welcome prospect.

He knew that he shouldn't let his mind wander, but there was really no controlling it at this point, he knew what the lecturer had to say so he sort of automatically slumps forward in his seat out of boredom. He is sat in a large auditorium built for around three hundred people... except at the moment it contains about seventeen people in total.

He is alone and there is no one around him, he is sat up towards the back and he doubts that anyone will notice him. His lecturer today wasn't helping his situation one bit either. His voice was monotone and his speech was slow and sleepy and it just helped ease Marco's mind into its wandering state. And where did it wander? Straight to Jean Kirschtein of course.

" _The next time I see Jean, I am going to have to explain this properly. I don't want him to think I am just some weird guy who gets his friends to push hot guys into me... wait where did that thought come from? Oh god, he won't think that will he? I am definitely over-thinking this but what if he does think that about me? No he won't, he must have seen how confused and shocked I was... He still needs an explanation... I hope I wasn't imagining him lingering before... it would be nice if he lingered... Ok but why Bodt? Why would it be nice? It's not like this guy is going to date me. He is probably straight or taken... wait no he is single, I remember him saying that... and then... oh god he winked at me. How the hell is he single, he was so confident and handsome. Why is this confusing? I have no idea about this guy yet I am crushing on him like a fourteen year old. Pull yourself together Marco, you are twenty one... ... But he was really all kinds of hot... I wonder what he would have done if I grabbed his shirt, instead of pushing away, if I had pulled him closer... what would he have done...?_ "

Marco's thoughts carry him along to a daydream of Jean and him, standing in the Canteen, up against the wall, pulled together. Lips locked. And that is where his mind stays throughout the lecture, oblivious to everything being said in the real world. He only surfaces from his fantasy when the Professor is starting to wrap up his presentation. He rubs his eyes and sighs, that's when he notices his heart beating loudly in his ears, he bites his lip a little, catching on to his heated cheeks too.

" _Oh god, did I just sit for one and a half hours dreaming of kissing Jean? I'm in waaaay too deep._ " He thinks as he packs his bags up and the Professor announces the assignment and Marco sighs, already knowing the subject pretty much off by heart.

" _Oops... I missed everything.._." He thinks sarcastically " _... Was it worth it? Yes_."

He stands up to leave the auditorium and he sighs, feeling totally defeated. He wasn't even fighting it, the one and a half hour make out session in his head was proof of that, he feels defeated.

" _I guess I have no option but to crush on him..._ "

He walks out of the auditorium, he heads through the campus towards the exit when he notices a familiar two tone hairstyle off to the side in one of the smaller shady courtyards of the campus, outside the arts buildings.

Jean...

 " _Oh god... I promised myself that I would go and explain to him... I didn't realise it would come this soon... I am not prepared for this at all...what did I do to deserve this?"_ Marco takes a deep breath, slightly nervous about how Jean will react to him... and how he will react to Jean.

" _Don't mess this up and start blushing madly... don't look at his lips because you will just get distracted, thanks to your little imaginary make out session... and most important of all. Do not act weird._ " He warns himself.

* * *

 

It is about four o'clock and the sunlight is shining through the leaves of the trees creating a canopy over the courtyard, giving everything a warm, green, summery tinge. Marco looks over nervously at Jean, leaning against a tree, concentrating on his phone, dappled sunlight swaying over him and everything around him. He had promised himself that he would explain... but he never thought that he would actually get the chance. Now that he has it, he is torn between facing Jean, or just running away and quietly crushing on him from a distance. He takes one more look at Jean, noting the frown of concentration furrowing his brow, those sharp eyes, that clean jawline and nods and commands his legs to walk, even though his brain is screaming at him to run away.

"Jean?" He asks after approaching Jean, his voice quavering a little, pitch higher than he would have liked, his shy demeanour showing through.

" _W_ _hy can't I be as confident in real life as I am in my daydreams... oh christ that daydream... don't think about it."_

"Oh... hey, Marco?" Jean smiles uncertainly, caught off guard by Marco's sudden appearance, he obviously isn't ready for this either.  He seems tense to Marco, his fists clenched and shoulders squared, like he is expecting to have to fight off a certain dastardly duo that might spring from behind one of the trees. Marco tries a smile as he feels that that is at least one of the reasons behind his tension, anyway.

" _Meeting someone you awkwardly and unexpectedly 'kissed' would also put someone on edge_." Marco reasons, before thinking. " _Well, if I want to explain to him... he needs to be comfortable with me..._ "

"Don't worry, they aren't here." He assures Jean, thinking that might relax him a little.

"Oh thank god." He chuckles, clearly relieved and Marco smiles genuinely, feeling at ease now that most of the tension has slipped away and his shoulders relax, his hands uncurling. 

" _Does that mean that he isn't tense around me?_ " Marco thinks, hopefully.

"I wanted to explain about this lunchtime, if you'd like?" He asks, tentatively, not wanting to scare him off again, although this was something pretty harmless. It has occurred to Marco that Jean might not want to talk of this again, but his chance to worry about the hostility towards the response is taken when the fair haired man nods and Marco feels his heart leap. He hasn't a clue about where to start.

" _I honestly didn't think I'd get this far._ "

"Ok... so Sasha and Connie were asking me... _Interrogating_  me about my relationships, who I'd like to date, who I have my eye on and I sort of... lost control of the conversation, Sasha and Connie took it upon themselves to try and matchmake me with someone. Although I don't think Connie knew at first. I managed to stop them before it got too out of hand and then Sasha ran off, came back with you and I'm pretty sure that they tried to matchmake us... I'm sorry about that." Marco explains then apologises for good measure. Jean relaxes and smiles his glittering smile and Marco's heart does a jumping thing before settling down.

"It's ok, I must admit it was all really confusing... I wasn't doing anything when your friend, Sasha, walked over and said 'Can I borrow you for a moment' so I accepted and I let her 'borrow' me, she seemed friendly..." He trails off, looking like he is sinking back into the shock of the moment when he found out that Sasha is less 'Friendly', and more 'Hectic'. Marco laughs gently. Jean stands up straight, off the tree and returns to his full height.

"Hey, I need get going... Want to walk with me? My car is parked in the car park down that way, If you're going that way, that is?" He asks, innocently and points down the wooded path to their left. 

" _Oooooh how can I refuse that?  I'm not going that way but he is really kinda friendly and I do want to get to know him... So why not?_ " _  
_

Marco nods "Yeah, sure. Hey, I'm sorry you had to experience my friends." He grins, flashing Jean a smile that was more confident than he felt, as they begin to walk.

" Hey don't apologise for them, it's ok... Are they always like that?" Jean queries. And Marco purses his lips and nods slowly, looking at the nice, kind... totally hot guy walking next to him.

"Sometimes they are more mellow, other times they are worse." He admits. Jeans eyes narrow.

"There's worse? How much worse." He asks, looking both worried and concerned about the people he met today, looking at Marco searchingly. Marco also see's a bit of concern for him in Jean's expression too and he feels a warm fuzzy feeling in his heart.

" _This is quite clearly true love._ " he thinks wryly to himself, a little bitter that he has fallen so easily. Then he clarifies the boundaries of Jean's question. There were some things that were just too embarrassing to tell, or too personal. But Marco feels that if Jean wanted to know, he would tell.

"Do you really want an example?" He asks, a warning tone entering his voice, staring Jean right in his deep gold eyes. 

"Gimme the worst" Jean says, daringly. Giving Marco a determined smile and Marco takes a breath, hissing through clenched teeth, sifting through all of his refreshed memories.

"Ah... there was that one ti- oh god no I remember it all" He groans as the memories come flooding back. He blushes and cringes simultaneously at the awful memory. Jean laughs at the sudden contortion of displeasure in Marco's expression.

"You  _have_  to tell me now" he teases.

"Ok, so there was this one time when we were having a night out and we were walking down 3rd street and the conversation moved to... oh god... the conversation moved to the topic of 'What Marco sounds like in bed'." Marco raises his hands and air quotes the last bit and bites his lip nervously and blushes, looking over to see Jean's eyes widen a little before he turns to look at his feet.

" _Apparently_ I am not quiet." Marco adds, mumbling. He glances at Jean who is smiling, amusement curling the corners of his lips, his head tilted in intrigue.

"Go-on" he prompts, expectantly, his voice so gentle and gaze, whilst amused, is soft. Marco takes a deep breath before continuing, feeling like its probably okay to tell him.

"Neither could agree on what I sounded like... so they decided it would be a good idea if they tried to mimic it... On 3rd street... So they were trying to imitate  _me_  on a busy avenue with  _me_  tagging along with them, unable to stop it... People were staring and... ugh..." Marco shivers at the memory and he looks up at Jean when a hand appears on his shoulder. A firm but gentle grasp. The first thing notices is that amused expression has dropped from Jeans face, to be replaced by one of pure horror.

"Holy fuck... I am so sorry." Jean mutters and momentarily, Marco's eyes widen. That is the first time he has heard Jean curse. He doesn't cuss himself, no matter how much he wants to sometimes, he just feels like he can be a nicer person without it. He smiles to Jean reassuringly.

"It's ok, I'm used to it by now... actually that's a lie... it's awful, but they are my best friends and I wouldn't change them." 

"Wow, that was really cheesy... but I understand... " He trails off as they walk out of the wooded path into the sunlight hitting the car park, the sky above a strong blue that contrasts with the vibrant green of the trees that surround almost everything in Trost... Marco didn't bring his car and feels a little dumb for walking with Jean for no other reason than wanting to talk to him a little more, It's nothing serious and Jean will probably just think that it's amusing, maybe even endearing...

" _I should probably come clean._ " He considers.

"Um... Jean... I have a confession to make... I don't actually have my car with me today..." There is a moment of silence as Jean looks at him, an unreadable expression gracing his features. Marco tries to draw meaning from it. " _Is he confused? Annoyed? what does that expression mean?_ " Jean shakes his head as if clearing away intruding thoughts.

"It's okay. Hey I'm live a few miles to the north, if you live up there, I could give you a lift?" He asks, calmly and ever so slightly hopefully. The slight hint of hope in his voice makes Marco's stomach flip. 

" _Stop it Marco, you live south of the university, this is in the complete wrong direction and you have no way home, you don't have enough money for a bus, you can't drive. There is no way Connie and Sasha are driving my car either. Don't accept his ride, Bodt._ " 

Marco looks at the sanguine expression on Jean's face, and he thinks about how nice it would be to share a car with Jean, to drive along and be in a small private space with Jean all to himself. It has a tremendous possibility for mishaps but he blocks out the voice in his head telling him not to go, warning him of all possible pessimistic events, and accepts Jean's offer instead. 

"Okay" He says, throwing caution to the wind, ignoring the doubts in his mind and getting a rewardingly bright, beaming smile from Jean in return. 

Jean's grin doesn't leave his face as he says "Follow me." Beckoning for Marco to follow him to his car and Marco follows, shaking his head, watching the slight spring in Jean's step as he leads the way.

" _What have you gotten yourself into Bodt?_ ".


	3. Rather Be

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Car journeys can be awkward for many different reasons...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Clean Bandit-"Rather Be"- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-M1AtrxztU)

Jeans car is nothing fancy, just a small silver city car, he unlocks it and opens his door, throwing his back in the back seat before smiling contentedly at Marco. "Get in." He orders, but its not forceful, more... gentle? Marco does what he is told and opens his door, and climbs in, putting his bag in the foot-well. Jean climbs in next to him looks over to him, he smiles warmly and Marco feels his heart swell as he looks into Jean's eyes. He expects Jean to look away but his eyes stay with Marco's. He sighs a little before turning to put the key in the ignition. The car starts with a purr and the radio turns on automatically and the car is filled with a babble of the host talking and Jean turns it down a notch and as the car pulls away, Marco decides that it is time for a little think.

" _Okay Marco, you are being reckless now. I'm going to be about five miles... wait... seven miles from home, I have no money to get home and I_ _can't ask Connie or Sasha to pick me up because they don't drive... And I put myself at all this trouble to spend about another twenty minutes with a guy I just met today? I guess I would have just walked home if he hadn't been so nice... or hot... and now he knows that I am loud in bed and that's embarrassing, I didn't have to be honest with him. Why did I tell him that, we hardly know eachother and now he is giving me a lift? I don't even know what I'm doing anymore... Anyway what was that just before when we got in the car? That was a moment, surely. And then there is still the possibility that he lingered a little before... Why is this so confusing? This is the most confused I have ever been over a guy before, I am sure he is sending out signals and he has been amazingly warm to me, especially with that first impression he got of me... but I can't be sure if he is sending out signals or just being frien-"_

Marco is suddenly snapped from his thoughts by a familiar violin tune on the radio. The intro to Clean Bandit's new song, 'Rather Be' 

" _Oh god, I love this song... there is no way I can't sing along..._ "

"Jean?"

"Hm?"

"I might have to sing along to this..." Jean glances off the road to him, flashing him a small, delighted smile. 

"That makes two of us." A light laugh bubbling gently behind his words.

As the vocals start up, so do the two students. At first they are a little shy to really project their voices, not really sure if they will be comfortable with eachothers singing but after the first two verses and after laughing out of both amusement and out of nervousness, they are singing comfortably and loudly. Jean pulls up at the back of a queue just as the chorus starts up. They both turn to eachother, smiles on their faces and they start to sing. It was at that moment when Marco decided to test the boundaries of his new crush, adding his true crushy feelings to his voice and actions, giving the song a meaning to him, even if the lyrics were a bit strong for the current stage of his infatuation.

_If you gave me a chance, I_   _would take it._  
 _It's a shot in the dark, b_ _ut I'll make it._  
 _Know with all of your,you can't shame me.  
_ _When I am with you there's no place I'd rather be..._

Their voices trail off as they notice something in eachother.

" _Nu-uh, no way did he sing that just like me. He sang that to me? I refuse to believe that he sang that to me._ " Marco thinks, stunned into silence.

Now, it would be easy for Marco to pass off, Jean noticed him, fine. He had a crush, no big deal. But he cannot pass off the expression of shock and amazement when he hears the very same emotion he put into the song, sang back at him. He was sure that Jean wouldn't really recognise that he meant the song, but to discover that he had done exactly the same thing to Marco as Marco had done to him... The reaction to that was a lot harder to cover than just Jean noticing him.

Jean is the first to break the stare, looking back at the road, blushing madly and muttering, gruffly "What?"

The queue starts to move again once the stop light changes and Marco feels a little like he has been left hanging. "What do you mean, 'What'?" He asks, urgently.

Jean glances over but looks away a little too quickly for it to be casual. "Why were you looking at me like that?" His gruff voice not doing a great job of hiding the fact that he is embarrassed and nervous at the same time. Marco notices him gripping the steering wheel tightly too.

"I could ask you the same question, Jean." He retorts, surprisingly sharply but not liking the sudden confrontation one bit.

" _Oh, no-no-no-no he's backing out, we are... We were getting somewhere, he can't back out now._ "

He forges on through Jean's sudden resistance because of the overwhelming desire to just figure this whole thing out. Because this just added more layers confusion to the mix and that's not what Marco needs right now. What he needs are answers.

"Jean. Why did you look at me like that?" He asks, bluntly and confidently, all shyness now lost from his persona. Overcome by pure determination. After a few silent moments Jean sucks in a breath, through clenched teeth and says in a low voice with a growl roughing it's edges.

"I looked at you like that because you sang  _that_ " He points at the radio, jerkily... finger quivering. "Differently. With feeling, it sounded like you meant it, why did you look at me like you did?" He looks over at Marco who meets his gaze, his eyes narrowed... but not in anger... They look like they are searching, frantically, before he has to look back at the road. Marco continues to look, sensing an opportunity to untangle the complications coiled in his head and most likely in Jean's too. This time, it's his turn to take a deep breath through clenched teeth.

" _This is your chance, just do it and don't mess it up._ "

"I looked at you for exactly the same reason." Marco says quietly, but directly. Jean grunts, gasps and tightens his hand on the wheel again, the rubber squeaking a little. The tension is so thick that it feels almost solid and constricting and Marco would prefer it to be gone completely. He frowns a little at Jeans tension in particular, The fair haired man appearing to be attempting to hide his obvious blush, trying to cover it up with passive aggression.

"Jean... What is it?" Marco asks softly and tentatively. Choosing his few words tactfully, knowing full well that he could be walking on eggshells. Jean lets out a small breath and even over the radio, that the breath is shaky and he seems nervous. He then exhales fully, 

"Ok, Marco... Um... Don't freak out, or think that I'm weird and don't hate me... but I looked at you because I thought you sang that in the same way that I did... I did sing that with meaning and... you saw that" He admits, voice quavering and cracking, confident temperament breaking.

"... but then I saw meaning when you sang... And I saw your expression afterwards that looked like you were feeling exactly the same as me after  _I_  noticed  _you_  singing . Meaning that we both kind of did exactly the same thing... which made me freak out a little because if we did exactly the same thing then that meant that you like me, like... like I like you... okay? Did that make sense?"

He keeps his eyes on the road, grimacing from his confusing and ridiculous speech but Marco understands and his heart leaps again for the umpteenth time today and he feels his palms getting sweaty. He suddenly realises that this is a really bad time, because if he is feeling like this... then how is Jean feeling... whilst driving? But Jean stays focussed and continues, trying to iron out the complicated and almost nonsensical speech he just finished. He speaks calmly, regulating his breathing and relaxing his tensed muscles.

"It's only been a few hours since we met, and it wasn't the best introduction ever, and then we went our separate ways... but even just this short time that I have actually been with you, I have come to really like you... you seem genuine and your face is cute and you are tall but shy and really kind... I mean you apologised to me for your friends which you didn't have to do but I thought it was really sweet... Oh, I don't know... I just really like you..."

Marco is speechless. He was expecting something... but not that. He gawks at Jean who glances over, expression gaunt and scared. Eyes nervous and flickering as they look at Marco from the side then back at the road, then back to Marco.  A worried frown is crinkling his forehead as he waits for a reaction. He clears his throat and says quietly.

"I thought you felt the same because you..." He trails off and there is another silence before he tries again... desperation clawing at the edges of his voice.

"Marco say something... Anything..."

"Yes" Marco says flatly, his brain not really managing to keep up with everything. " _Great answer, Bodt._ " He thinks sarcastically.

"What?"

Marco takes a deep breath. That one syllabic word had just kind of slipped out. 'Yes' is such an easy word to say and he couldn't help himself. He could see Jeans inner turmoil and he could see that his silence was ruining Jean... With the knowledge of Jean feeling the same as him it had just slipped off his tongue. He panics, just a little.

" _Oh god Marco, is this happening? I thought I saw signals from him but I thought that they were just my imagination. What am I supposed to do? I never thought it would get this far._ " Jeans voice breaks his inner panic just a little as he asks again, hope filling his voice.

"What is it, what do you mean by yes!?" He asks, an optimistic excitement replacing the terrified desperation from before. Marco takes a deep breath, not ready for this at all.

"I said y-yes... " Nervousness cracking his voice a little, the previous determination that replaced his shyness completely gone now that it was apparent that they Jean liked him back.

"I d-do feel the s-same as you..." He stutters out, his heart pounding, pulse loud in his ears. He is sure that he is bright pink but at this moment in time, it doesn't matter. What is important is seizing this opportunity.

"Marco..." Jean says carefully, trailing off after his name.

"Jean, I'm sorry if I seem a little shocked or unresponsive... I just wasn't expecting you to say that... I thought that the signs you were sending were just my imagination... To be honest, I kinda suspected that you were straight" Marco explains, disbelief, happiness and relief washing over him. Jean looks over and smiles a smile that is saturated in the same relief.

"Yeah... well to be honest I have only very recently started to think otherwise... Girls are great... but... I am just not interested in what is underneath the clothing... Y'know?" He says, like voicing a belated epiphany. Marco nods in obvious understanding and then Jean shakes his head, serious expression falling from his face as it seems like the tension has passed.

"Anyway, What signs?" He asks innocently, wide eyed, pouting and clearly teasing.

"What?" Marco asks.

"You said that I was sending signs... what signs?" He glances over at Marco, throwing him a smile and a wink, challenging him. Marco laughs, feeling the easy atmosphere setting back in, tension disappearing. There was still some ambiguity about the entire situation that was a little troubling but he felt at ease once again in Jeans company, and that is a very welcome feeling. He breaths a small sigh of inaudible relief and thinks back to all the 'Signs'.

"Well there was that first one where you winked at me after saying you were single." Marco looks at Jean, gauging.

"Oh... yeah, I did that, yep." He confirms. Smiling a little, a small amount of guilt behind it the grin.

"And you didn't stop looking at me for like that entire conversation." He states

"Mmmmm... Ok, yeah, I'll give you that one too." Jean considers before nodding.

"Also when we got in the car we looked at eachother for ages... I believe that was a moment."

"Yes, I like to think so too." Jean says wistfully, causing Marco to look at him with a mixture of embarrassment and adoration, before dropping his bombshell that had been bugging him since the start.

"Then there was that one time when you got pushed into me. I know you could have pushed away a little sooner than you did. You lingered a little, didn't you?"

"Ah..." He says guiltily. "You noticed that then..." He looks over from the road and Marco nods, smiling.

"I did, but I didn't mind, why did you do it?" Marco asks, genuinely curious.

"W-well I did it because... I don't know, you were standing there all awkward and... okay yeah, I thought you were cute with your eyes and your freckles and you looked kind helpless and desperate. And then I was pushed into you and even though my mouth fucking hurt, I thought you looked like you needed just a little something... looking back, that something could have been a little better... you didn't push away though." And just like that, the tables were turned, now it was Marco's time to answer.

"No.. I... I didn't..." Jean looks about to ask him why when the radio DJ announces the next song. "And up next we have Beyonce's 'Love On Top', enjoy."

"Ohh no you don't." Jean laughs as he turns the radio off, for obvious reasons, the lyrics to love on top would just be a little over board for this situation. They both laugh as they recall them and their clear meaning of a need for love. After the interruption they settle into a comfortable silence for the rest of the drive. Jean is to busy driving for him to concentrate on anything else and they both know and finally understand that they like one another and that is good enough for them both for the time being, so neither of them feels uncomfortable or feels the need to discuss anything and the rest of the drive passes by peacefully, even though there is an obvious romantic ambiguity hanging in the air...


	4. Miles From Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maybe Marco has made a mistake getting a lift so far from home? Maybe not though.

Before the silence and the romantic ambiguity drag on for too long they are pulling into a car park at the base of a rather tall apartment block, green and white with long windows reaching up the sides. The smooth unbroken surfaces of glass make it hard to count the floors. All Marco can tell is that it is tall... The tower was surrounded by trees, as everything was in Trost. Jean parks the car in the shadow of the tower. He closes his eyes for a second and turns the engine off but instead of getting out, like Marco had expected, he just sinks into his seat and sighs, relaxing a little, letting go of the steering wheel, breathing deeply and calmly. Marco notices his shoulders slump a little as they both take a little bit of a time-out. Marco closes his eyes and breaths a little deeper than normal too. He has to admit that the drive was pretty tense. He is grateful that the conversation had been resolved before it turned into an argument.

" _I don't think I could have dealt if it turned to a shouting match back there... I get the feeling it would have hurt too much._ " 

Jean turns to him, positioning himself so that his body is turned to Marco, right shoulder leaning against his seat and Marco turns his head.

"Hey." The fair haired boy says, quietly and gently, as if greeting Marco, like they hadn't been sitting in a car together for the past quarter of an hour. He smiles, it's not the confident, cocky smile that Marco is used to, but a soft friendly smile that takes Marco by surprise. He feels himself blush slightly but his chest feels warm.

He says it with such gentility that Marco felt himself melt a little inside. He turns to face Jean who was gazing intently at him. His eyes have lost the intensity that they had when they were driving back and Marco finds himself drawn in a little by their glint.

"Hey" He repeats, his voice almost a mutter. "This afternoon, I felt bad after running away in the canteen. I feel worst about leaving you behind with them."

"It's ok, I told them off... anyway you didn't run aw-"

"Hush you." He cuts in, waving Marco's comment away with his hand. "I also feel bad because I didn't get to give you what the others wanted." He says, his voice dropping to an almost whisper and it takes Marco a small while to process what he just said.

"Give me...?" he asks, still mulling it over. His brain still working out how to treat this romantic interest sitting next to him.

" _Who apparently likes me back, but I cannot believe that._ " He thinks. He looks at Jean as he rolls his eyes deep gold eyes in a mock vexation at Marco's slow thinking.

"This, you idiot" Jean mumbles after a few seconds of Marco getting nowhere with his thoughts. And with a faint smile playing on his lips, he leans closer to his freckled passenger.

Marco can only watch in awe as those very same smiling lips approach then he loses sight of them as they press into his, his eyes re-focussing on . Everything suddenly becomes very real for Marco. He realises where he is,  he realises what he is doing,he realises what is happening to him and he squashes the panic rising in his stomach and lets Jean kiss him, melting into the sensation. Even though it lasts for a few seconds only, it is enough to make him fall completely for Jean... He was on his way down already but now he had fallen completely. The gold eyed man's lips pull away and rests their foreheads together, eyes locking. He whispers, mouth close enough so that whilst speaking, his lips occasionally brush Marco's.

"Did that make up for before?" He smiles slightly and Marco nods, rolling his forehead on Jean's. Jean takes a slow breath, closing his eyes for a brief moment before saying a little disappointedly, down-turned expression gracing his eyebrows.

"I guess we had better get going, you have to get home." And that's when it hits Marco, at this perfect moment. He has just kissed Jean, they are so close and then this crucial thought has to hit him and ruin his little slice of heaven, bringing a new-found worry to him. Jean moves his head away and that's when Marco panics... just a little.

" _Oh... oh dear, I am seven miles from home, I don't have a car, I don't have money for a bus, I can't walk THAT far... What do I do? I should come clean about this too... I hope this won't make me look clingy, or desperate... or too dorky."_ He thinks a little frantically.

They both go to get out of the car, Marco picking up his bag, stepping out into the warm, Friday, summer, evening air. Even though they are in the shadow of the tower, the warmth is still present, the mingling smell of flowers and mown grass and clear air should have been perfect, but as is the case, he is too worried to really concentrate on it.  He turns to Jean, on the opposite side of the car.

" _Best just to get it done with... rip it off like a band-aid_ "

He looks at Jean's reflection in the paintwork, not actually at Jean, avoiding eye contact.

"Um... Jean..." He starts, not really sure how to phrase it at all.

"Yeah?"

" _Here goes nothing._ "

"I... I don't actually live in this area."

" _Great one Bodt_."

"What do you mean?" Jean's left eyebrow raises in questioning, not quite understanding immediately.

"I... I um... I live two miles south of campus." He looks up at Jean after a few seconds of silence following his admittance. Looking up from the distorted reflection in the roof he finally looks Jean in the eye. His mouth is open in a confused, disbelieving smile. He laughs a little, as if misunderstanding.

"What?... Why did you get a lift with me if it took you in the wrong direction?" He asks, the disbelieved loss of breath affecting his voice a little. Making it a little higher and breathy, a chuckle of amusement also laced in his voice. 

"I was having fun." Marco mumbles lamely, looking back at the roof of the car, bashfully. It is a small moment before Jean laughs. Loudly, clearly and infectiously and before long, Marco is laughing along with him, Jean slings his bag over his shoulder and walks round the front of his car and he stops for a second, face to face, his expression falling from amused to nervous smile in a matter of seconds . He carefully reaches out and takes Marco's hand. Tentatively, as if not sure about what their relationship is...

Marco assists him by intertwining their fingers together, also slightly unsure about what they are, but just going with what feels right. And at this moment? Right is holding Jean's hand. Jean looks down at their hands fitting snugly together, smile falling from his face to be replaced by a calm contentment, nervousness washed completely away. 

"Do you have a way to get home?" he asks, softly, still gazing at their clasped hands. Marco shakes his head and replies honestly, if not feeling a little shy still.

"No... I planned to walk home... but you happened... and now I'm here" He smiles and Jean looks up, eyes widened slightly. 

"Why was that one of the most romantic things that anyone has ever said to me?" He questions, a little distractedly and Marco laughs softly. He looks down slightly at the now blushing man in front of him, avoiding direct eye contact. He feels a hot panic rising in his chest as he gives in to desire and lifts his free hand and cups Jean's chin. He tilts his head up so that he is looking at him and he leans in kisses Jean, just quickly, but it is long enough for warmth to flood from the short contact, running down the length of their bodies to their fingertips and their toes... He pulls back after a second, blushing, the moment catching up with him.

It takes Jean a few moments to re-gather his thoughts before he finds his voice and mumbles.

"You could c-come to my place?" He asks, his voice catching in his throat a little, from nerves. He looks into Marco's eyes and smiles kindly.

* * *

 

" _It's ok to ask him up, right? We have like kissed twice now already..._ " He reasons with himself and then thinks, slightly off topic... " _Hang on a second... What happened to me? Since when did I become Nervous about this kind of thing? Anyway. To explaining my suggestion..._ "

"I mean, you can't walk that far, you'll sure-fire  _die._ " He states dramatically before continuing. "There is no way I'm letting you walk home, and I'm not driving back, it's still rush-hour. You may be my boyfriend but you don't get a lift home." He laughs for a moment before it fades abruptly and he realises what just slipped out there. He feels Marco's hand tighten, fingers squeezing his. He sucks in a sharp breath, his mind racing. He looks away, not daring to meet Marco's eyes.

" _HolyshitIjustcalledhimmyboyfriendwhatdoIdo?_ " He thinks hectically. " _OhmygodJeansaysomethingtohim._ "

"Uumm... Sorry... I... um... I fucked up a bit ther-"

"No, Jean... I..." The dark haired student stutters and takes a deep breath, composing himself. "...I think you said it perfectly." He finishes clearly.

Jean's eyes widen, he gasps, internally reeling in shock.

" _No... way. No freakin way did he just say that_ " He thinks, 

"Is... Is that what you want M-Marco?" He mutters, astonished... So astonished that he trips over his words, his head feeling a little light and his limbs feel a little weak at the scale of what's just been said. It's when the taller boy nods his head and gives him that shy little smile that first captured Jean, that thinks he might collapse, his legs feel like jelly and his heart is pounding.

" _This... this is affecting me quite a lot. I mean I have never felt so nervous about someone before. Should I be concerned? Probably. Will It change what I'm about to do? Not really._ "

He lets his instincts kick in and his desires take over once more. Taking Marco's other hand, interlocking their fingers and leaning in, kissing him soundly. Taking his top lip between both of his, remaining there for a few seconds before pulling away.

"C'mon." He says as he backs away. He leaves his hands in Marco's and pulls him in the direction of the tower.

"Jean are you sure you want me to? I don't want to be, y'know... a bother?" Jean smiles and rolls his eyes but continues to practically drag a half reluctant, half interested Marco to the steps outside the building.

"You are not going to be a bother" He scolds, not actually able to imagine a way that Marco could be a bother at all, really. The guy was too quiet and considerate...

" _And far to loveable to bother me... oh my god Jean... when did you become such a cheesy romantic?_ "


	5. Apartments and Phonecalls

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Marco attempts to hold a phone call with his two best friends, room-mates... and antagonists.

By the time they reach the top of the stairs outside Jean's apartment tower. Marco's worries of being a bother have dissipated, due to the adamant protests from Jean whenever he fretted. By the time they are pushing through the Lobby doors, he is walking by Jeans side, hand in hand, quite looking forward to actually being in Jeans apartment. They both look at eachother and Marco smiles a sweet smile. Jean smiles, caught off guard by the sugary sweetness of the smile. He notices that Marco can see his smiles effect and only watches as Marco tilts his head and smiles again at him, closing his eyes for a moment, letting Jean know that everything is okay. They step into an empty elevator and on the way up Jean explains that he chose this apartment because it was a little way of the university and was quiet whilst pressing the button for the nineteenth floor.

"I like having fun, I just like my sleep too." He defends when Marco gives him a surprised look, it obviously didn't strike him that Jean could be a peaceful person.

They get to the nineteenth floor and step out of the elevator. The corridor in which they enter is stark white walls, undecorated and rather boring, save for a large window at the end of the corridor where the bright sunlight is beaming down the hallway. Jean assures him that his apartment is decorated. They walk to the last door on the right of the corridor and Jean pulls out a key and puts it into the lock on the door he has stopped in front of. He twists the key and  there is a satisfying click. He turns the Handle and opens the door. He steps through and beckons for Marco to follow. Jean was right, His apartment was decorated and had that comforting home-like smell to it. He hadn't realised its location so when Marco steps through the door he finds himself in an open-plan kitchen and living room on the south west corner of the building. Large floor-to-ceiling windows run down the walls, sunlight spilling through them, illuminating everything it touches. Jean smirks at Marco's silence before closing the door behind them.

"Hey, I'll get us some drinks... Make yourself comfortable." he says, dropping his bag in the hall-area of the room and toeing off his sneakers. Marco does the same, then as Jean goes to the kitchen area, he walks to on of the south facing windows and looks out, scanning the cityscape. He has to admit, it is a nice apartment, and the view is stunning. He see's the few towers shooting up through the vast amount of trees and roofs that Trost was comprised of. He looks south, He can see the roof of the university, sunlight shining off the slightly reflective slate roof and then behind it he can see his apartment tower. He is concentrating so hard that he doesn't notice Jean walking up next to him, carrying two glasses of iced water. 

"You see something?" He asks, making Marco jump, heart racing. " _What are you doing Marco? You are in his home, of course he is going to be there, stop being so skittish._ " he scolds himself for jumping out of his skin.

"Um... Yeah. I was just looking to see if I could see my apartment." He says after he calms himself.

"Oh? you can see it from here?" Jean asks, putting the drinks on a nearby table then walking back to rejoin Marco at the window.

"Yeah, It's that one" Marco points, and Jean leans over to look down Marco's arm to follow his finger. 

"Ah, I see it" He says quietly, tilting his head a little further, resting it on Marco's shoulder. Marco Momentarily tenses, Jean resting his head on his shoulder, whilst a simple action, is filled with caring and its enough to send Marco reeling just a little. He tries not to focus on the scratchy hair on the top of Jean's head, tickling his neck and Jaw and he pulls himself together almost immediately though and he starts counting the floors on the tower in his head.

"What are you counting?" Jean asks, genuinely curious. Marco, apparently  oblivious to the fact that he was actually counting aloud, blushes.

"Oh... Um... I was... I was just counting the floors, I think my apartment is the one on the left... one, two, three, four... ... nine storeys from the top... Hang on... the light is on..." He steps away from Jean for a second, digging his phone out of his pocket, feeling a little lonely when he loses the comforting weight and warmth of Jean's head resting on him.

"Just checking I haven't been broken into." He tells a confused looking Jean, smiling jokingly. He flicks his finger across the screen and selects Connie's number before pressing call. He looks at Jean, still smiling, failing to mention that he needs to let them know that he will be home late... A dread seeps through him as he thinks of all the possibilities of this conversation but he shakes himself and gets it together.

" _If things get out of hand, the 'end call' button is right here._ " He reminds himself, he is with Jean and He doesn't want to waste it on ridiculous conversation with his friends.

"Hello Connie?"

"Yeah... Marco?"

"It's me, are you in the apartment?" 

"Yeah, it's just me and Sasha." Marco makes a small sigh of relief and looks at Jean, giving a sarcastic thumbs up, garnering a small smile.

"Ok, good, Just checking. I might be home late tonight, by the way". he warns his energetic room-mate.

"Who are you calling?" Jean asks. Marco mouths 'Connie and Sasha' when he is blasted in the ear by a shrill yell that Jean can hear, even from his distance.

"I RECOGNISE THAT VOICE, MARCO."

"Which voice?"

"That voice that just asked you who you are calling."

"Do you have it on speaker phone, Conn-"

"Yes, yes, yes. But who was that..."

"It's nobo-"

"THAT'S RIGHT! THAT'S JEAN FROM THIS LUNCHTIME!" He is shouting so loudly that Marco actually has to hold the phone away from his ear and he gives Jean a helpless look. Jean just smirks and rolls his eyes, throwing him a sympathetic " _You have to live with that?_ " expression. Marco puts his phone back to his ear and is about to say something.

"SASHA! SASHA! COME HERE! MARCO IS WITH JEAN!" Connie yells, not bothering to muffle the his phones microphone. Marco almost throws his phone away, scrunching his eyes closed in pain.

"MARCO WHERE ARE YOU NOW!?"

"Im... I'm nowher-"

"YOU ARE AT JEANS PLACE AREN'T YOU?"

"What?... Yeah... I'll be back at... ... Half nine?" He says, trying to brush over the topic, smiling at Jean, disregarding the questioning look and the word " _how"_ mouthed at him by Jean who is standing with his hands on his hips, looking sceptical. Marco would have assured him that he would, but by now Sasha has joined Connie at the phone and he doesn't really get his chance.

"HOLY CRAP MARCO! REALLY, YOU'RE AT JEAN'S!?" Sasha yells, and Marco is made to wince again. Jean laughs and puts his hand over his eyes, despairing. Marco sighs, a little exhaustedly, shoulders sagging.

" _The end call button is right there._ " His mind echoes but he doesn't have it in him to just hang up.

"Yes..."

"CONNIE MY PLAN WORKED!" Jean can hear the yell from where he is stood and he sees the exhausted look on the taller man's freckled face, sees the pleading look in his eyes. Pleading to no one in particular, but pleading for the conversation to be over soon. Jean shakes his head, silently making a plan to free him from the call. Ideas rapidly forming in his head.

 " _Ever_ _the Hero._ " Jean muses sarcastically as he reaches a plan of action.


	6. Advancements

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jean discovers that there is a lot more to Marco than meets the eye.

He nods, letting Marco know that he has a plan. He gets a rewardingly thankful look from the freckled man and smiles in return before setting his plan into action. He takes a breath and walks behind Marco and he loops his arms around Marco's waist, pressing himself against his back, squeezing his boyfriend momentarily. He feels Marco jump a little before settling back into the embrace, already comfortable and already relaxed. Jean settles his head on Marco's warm, comfortable shoulder and for a second, and allows himself to lose himself in the touch of Marco's back on his chest, the solidity of him in his arms and the feel of his boyfriends heat on his body.

Marco tries to interject Sasha before another round of shouting begins but again is too slow.

"IT WORKED." Sasha yells first.

"No Sa-"

"MY PLAN TOTALLY WORKED!" She shouts obnoxiously.

 Jean smiles at that before leaning over to the phone that is still held away from the freckled boy's ear and initiates his plan by saying to Connie and Sasha in his most 'call-centre' like voice.

"Hey, guys, sorry to disappoint, but Marco has to go. He's a little busy right now." 

"JEAN WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH MARCO!?" Sasha interrupts and Jean can feel the blush rise on Marco's neck as he presses his cheek against the freckled skin. 

"Jean? What are you doing? That sounded dirty". Marco complains in a hushed voice and Jean gives him a breathy chuckle.

"I'm saving you, idiot." He whispers into Marco's ear and smirks, feeling rewarded by the shiver he triggers as his breath breezes over the shell of Freckles' ear.

" _Hm, Freckles... That's cute, I might use it more._ " He thinks to himself offhandedly before being interrupted from his slightly wandering thoughts of the guy he is holding, by a sudden voice.

"You do know that we can still hear you two, right?" Connie's voice chimes through the speaker of the phone, still held in Marco's hand. And they both tense, Jean tightening his arms on Marco's waist a notch before lifting his hand from its position against Marco's stomach, carefully snatching the phone from his hand and he puts it to his ear and says quickly.

"Yeah, we... um... we gotta go. Bye!" He ends enthusiastically before hanging up to a chorus of "JEAN DON'T YOU DA-" from Marco's room-mates. He chuckles then pulls back from Marco, suddenly feeling regretfully lonely without him in his arms and the warmth of him against his chest. He walks back to the table he put the drinks on, phone in hand and he lays it down before turning to smile at Marc-  _Freckles_.

" _Plan 'Get Marco off the phone' complete. Smooth._ "

"See? I told you I was helping you." He smirks and Marco chuckles and sags, defeated.

"I guess so" He admits, smiling. "But did you really need to say something like 'He's a little busy'? That made it seem like we doing... er... something else..." His sentence turning into a mumble that trailed off into flushed cheeks and a shuffle of embarrassed feet. Marco lifts his hand and puts it on the nape of his neck, rubbing it slightly. Jean smiles at the tall mess of embarrassment before him and he chuckles briefly before saying.

"Ah don't worry about it, it will amuse them for a few hours right... ?They will probably annoy the fuck out of your neighbours though... They are so loud" His voice taking an indifferent but happy tone. Marco shakes his head, smiling adorably  _again_ , standing with his back facing west and the sun pouring through the window behind him. Jean allows his eyes to wander across his tanned skin, tracing lines between the freckles on his face, admiring the light halo in his hair as the light of the sinking sun hit his back. 

" _Fuck he is cute..._ _Keep it together Jean._ "

"Anyway, It worked didn't it? You won't even get a headache." Jean smirks as he tries to cover up his overwhelming urge to cuddle the blushing angel standing in his apartment.

" _Dammit, stop being so cheesy._ "

Marco smiles and mutters something almost inaudibly, his cheeks flushing and his hands clasped and wringing.

"If I did get one...You know what the cure is for headaches, right?" Before he looks at the floor, bashfully. Jean has no option but to stare, open mouthed at Marco. His mind immediately jumping to one prominent thing that he remembers from high school and college rumour.

" _Did he mean what I think he means? Sex cures headaches... I have heard that before... Is that what he meant? If so...Where the fuck did that come from? ... Look at his blush, he clearly meant sex, look at him... being all adorable... I cooould mess with him a little bit... That blush is too cute to let go of so soon, after all."_

Jean smiles innocently and saunters over to Marco, casually and lazily draping his arms over his boyfriends shoulders, leaning down to look up into the bright pink face of his new boyfriend, sly smirk on his lips before he wipes his face clean of an expression, replacing it with a wide eyed innocence. Marco's arms loop around his waist almost automatically and he looks down at Jean with a look of confusion.

"No... I don't know? What is the cure for headaches?" Jean asks. His voice overflowing with mock purity as he gazes up into the deep hazel eyes of Marco. The taller boy bites his lip nervously, his cheeks flushing further. 

"Um... Paracetamol..." He mumbles after a long stretch of silence, squeezing his eyes shut from regret and embarrassment and Jean can't help but laugh.

" _Oh god, he is a keeper._ " He grins before kissing Marco. To his pleasant surprise, the wreck of embarrassment before him, kisses back into his smile, just a little before he pulls away, grinning slyly.  _  
_

" _He doesn't get out of it that easily though._ "

"We both know that isn't what you meant, Freckles" Jean whispers seductively before capturing Marco's lips once again, the heat of Marco's blush, hot on his cheeks but he doesn't back away, not this time. Especially not when Marco starts to kiss back, Jean can feel Marco's hands shake nervously on the small of his back as they embrace, he can feel his shoulders tense, as if predicting that this kiss is going to be different to all that came before it.

" _That's exactly how I still feel buddy... but I'm not gonna let it show._ " Jean thinks to himself, silently wishing he could tell Marco that it was alright, as their lips move in unison, slotting and sliding together. Marco closes his eyes and takes a deep breath through his nose, his shoulders relax and his hands stop shivering and Jean feels instantly more comfortable too. His arms curl a little more around the nape of Marco's neck and he runs a hand through his deep black hair, pulling him closer and deeper.

He feels a tongue lick along his lower lip and the corners of mouth turn up in a slight smile , sure that Marco can feel it through the kiss. He parts his lips just enough for Marco's tongue to slip between, he chuckles a little to himself and he feels Marco's eyelashes flutter against his and he opens them to find a pair of deep brown eyes, glazed and gazing into his.

" _What's gotten into him?_ " Jean thinks, as his tongue greets Marco's, slightly surprised by the sudden change in confidence. He thinks on the tall shy person he had fallen for earlier, making a sexual reference directed at Jean and then proceeding to put his tongue in boyfriends mouth...

" _Actually I don't care what's gotten into him, it's amazing."_ _  
_

His tongue licks over Marco's feverishly and his fingers lace through his soft hair, the heat of the freckled man's tongue all over his is .

" _Oh shit, I need to breathe._ " He realises after what could have been a few seconds or many minutes, before pulling back, gasping for breath. His hand falls from Marco's hair as he rests his arms on Marco's shoulders, he notices his partners laboured breathing and smiles encouragingly at him, feeling a little light-headed.

"Fuck... Jean..." Marco says between breaths, his thoughts unfocussed and probably as scattered as Jean's. He looks incredibly flustered but unbelievably happy, gasping for air. He stops after a moment wearing a horrified expression. Jean frowns, looking concerned.

"What's wrong?" He asks, oblivious fact that 'Fuck' just slipped from between the saint's lips, being a little to out of it to notice properly.

"That... That was the first time I have cursed... probably in my whole life." He says, sounding a little deflated. In a way that seems like his life's work has just been stolen from him.

Jean can't help it, he starts to laugh. He recalls the two words gasped at him and he leans forward, burying his face in the curve of Marco's neck and mumbles

"I took your swearing virginity" The vague deliriousness still veiling his thoughts, taking away any reservation he had when vocalising his them. He feels a hot blush creep up Marco's neck and he laughs even more. 

"It feels good, right? Relieving?" he says into the warm, freckled skin. He feels a small laugh vibrate throughout the taller man he also feels and hears a hum of agreement. 

"Are you gonna do it more?" Jean queries, feeling for some reason, like he is making progress.

"I liked it. It suits you in an odd 'He looks so innocent but wow I did not expect him to say that' kinda way." He states, pulling away from Marco's neck and looks into his face, the expression he see's is an unfamiliar and unexpected smirk of disbelief.

* * *

"Innocent?" Marco asks in a tone of both amusement and playful challenge.

"Uum..."

" _What is that expression... Is he challenging me? Fuck it, I'm gonna say what I think._ "

"you have really big eyes and your features all come together and they make you look... innocent..." Jean trails off into a mumble as he see's something dangerous flash across Marco's eyes. A foreign grin slipping onto his lips.

"Innocent?" He asks again, his hands sliding a little further down shorter man's back and he gasps a little at the movement. 

" _I'm a bad influence._ " Jean thinks immediately, a new streak of nervousness running through him, feeling slightly intimidated by this new predatory look gracing his boyfriends face. Intimidation is not something he is used to...

"Sure I'm shy, I get embarrassed... and nervous too.. and sure I  _Look_  Innocent" He leans forward, his lips right next to Jean's ear and he whispers. "But looks can be deceptive, can't they?"

Jean's breath hitches at the sudden change of attitude and he swears that his heart stopped beating too.

" _Oh god what was that? He just said that, to me, right here... oooohhhhhhh god. He's so close, his hands are really strong... wait what's he doi-oh shit._ "

Marco moves his head down a little and presses his lips into the the soft skin of Jean's neck, Just under the curve of his jaw, leaving Jean reeling in shock, confusion and a feeling that he had just been totally and completely seduced. He feels the warm, slightly wet feeling as Marco kisses his neck and hums contentedly when Jean yelps, Marco's teeth nipping his skin a little. He lingers for a few more seconds before moving down, teeth grazing the soft skin, lingering at a second place before pulling back. Gazing deep into Jean's eyes. His own innocent eyes half-lidded and glazed. Jean takes a deep breath, then wordlessly advances on Marco, not willing to be pushed over  _that_  easily.

His hand moving back up to run through the dark hair, pulling Marco's face to his, their lips colliding and locking together. He pulls Marco in as much as possible, their chests flush and their lips between each others. They kiss for what could have been any amount of time, the sky has turned a deep orange as the sun sets and the kiss doesn't break, their controlled breathing makes everything seem calm as they trade tongues and explore eachothers mouths. The serenity lasts until Jean experimentally bites Marco's lip gently, which elicits a low moan from Marco. It's so unexpected and so lewd that boy students stop momentarily, eyes flying open out of surprise. Apparently even Marco wasn't expecting himself to make that kind of noise.

Jean pulls back slowly, letting the lip slide from between his teeth (Evoking out a small whimper from Marco), he raises one eyebrow and smiles deviantly to his taller partner.

" _How do I hear more of **that?**_ " He thinks to himself, jokingly, his mind hazy with the sultry mood. He is so out of it that it takes him a few seconds to realise he wasn't at all focussing on self restraint... and wasn't at all focussing on keeping his thoughts to himself.

" _Wait... why were my lips moving just then... and now he is blushing and... oh... oh fuck no. Did I say that out loud? How did I even say that aloud? That's such a dorky thing to do._ " He thinks, regret piling into the pit of his stomach. The mood, fortunately, doesn't change as Marco's blush fades, only to be replaced by an expression of earnest lust. He responds quietly, confirming Jean's fears.

"I don't know Jean" He says in a breathy whisper. "How would you go about it?" A small smile tugging at the corner of his lips.


	7. A Change of Pace

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wooo here's the slightly NSFW part. *whispers in your ear* #noregrets

"I don't know Jean" Marco says in a breathy whisper. "How would you go about it?" A small smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

Jean flinches as it becomes painfully clear that he did in fact voice his thoughts. Pink dusts his cheeks as it settles on him that, yes, that was incredibly dorky and yes Completely embarrassing, but he forges on through the awful embarrassment creeping across his skin and through his mind. It dawns on him that this could be something big. Something huge could come from this opportunity, if he takes it

"I guess there is  _one_ method to it?" He mutters, small smile playing on his lips. Hoping his vague answer would give him time to stall and think of a way of asking... because being honest with himself, it has been going this way for a little while... since the 'Headache' comment... and now with this new attitude from Marco there is really only one way that Jean wants it to go.

" _Yeah, I get the feeling that saying 'Fuck me' wouldn't be the way to go about this._ " 

He doesn't get a chance to explain or even to devise a plan, in fact he gets the opportunity stolen from him when Marco asks him quietly

"And what method is that?" He is voice filled to the brim with an allure and seduction that sucks Jean's breath from his lungs. He has obviously caught onto Jean's mindset immediately (or at least he hopes that Freckles has caught onto the right tangent, cause otherwise things might get awkward) and wants to draw out Jean's discomfort.

"Well... Umm..." He thinks out loud, racking his brain for a way to put his desires into words. He totally fails, to his dismay and can think of nothing to say. He rolls his eyes in frustration at his hopelessness before calming his thundering heartbeat. He is already settled on what he is going to say.

" _Fuck it._ " He thinks as he leans up to Marco, placing his lips next to his ear and whispering, almost silently, in the sexiest voice he can muster.

"Marco... I want you... to fuck me..." 

He feels his throat constrict in sheer nervousness, but luckily after the sentence is done. He hears Marco's breath catch and hitch and he can feel the sudden surge of a blush on the freckled boys neck. 

" _Smooth, Kirschtien, real fucking_  smooth." He thinks, trying to distract himself from the terrible anxiety coiling in his stomach. " _Jesus Christ, our feelings are all over the place, this is a big beautiful mess..._ " 

"When do I start?" He mumbles, the smallest of excited smiles widening to crack the seriousness from his lips and Jean's swirling thoughts all come skidding to a halt. He slowly disentangles himself from Marco, letting his arms fall from around Marco's shoulders to hang by his sides. An expression of sudden realisation washes over his features as he looks up at his boyfriends face. His feelings are confused, he feels scared, nervous, excited, elated and they all come together to create a daze of confusion over his mind but it doesn't stop one thought from buzzing around in his head. 

" _Wait... are we... are we going to fuck... like RIGHT NOW?! HOHmygod I wasn't expecting this... I mean I know I asked but holy crap... this is so soon..._ " He panics a little but the overwhelming desire does not leave him... in fact he is pretty fucking excited.

Marco pulls his arms from around Jean and Jean takes his hands and starts to pull him towards his bedroom door. 

" _Just stay calm... Don't panic..._ _"_  His mind tells him and he smiles, breaking the astonishment that he realises is still on his face.

* * *

 

It's all a blur, the walk to the bedroom, the fumbling with the closed door... the stumbling  _through_  the door... And when Jean finds himself laying down on his back, looking up at Marco, cold white duvet underneath him, comfortable mattress beneath that, it suddenly hits him what's happening. It hits him like a train. His heart starts thundering in his chest, his blood pumping loudly in his ears. He is now acutely aware of everything around him. The room, the sunlight on the world outside, the cold sheets. The deep warm brown eyes of the man above him, the freckles on his face and the glow of life on his skin. His heart feels like it is about to break through his chest and he looks away, turning his head to the side mortified at how worked up he is getting. And then it dawns on him... He's never done this before... He is still a virgin... He holds himself like an experienced person, but really he has none at all...

" _Jean... you are going to have to tell him that this is the first time._ " He warns himself mentally. Then almost crumbles out of abject humiliation as he realises that this is real and he  _has_  to tell Marco. He feels Marco's hands press down his chest, right over his heart and Jean's face flushes bright pink and he feels them burn. Marco is sure to feel his heartbeat racing.

" Freckles... I-I'm kinda... I'm really fucking nervous, okay?" He blurts and closes his eyes and breathes deeply. He can feel Marco's smile on him... It doesn't help his mortification whatsoever and as he feels the bed shift, he feels a warm, smooth hand clasp his own and bring it upwards. He turns his head and opens his eyes.

"Marco wha-" He starts, confused, but Marco puts their hands to his heart and Jean can feel the quick beating there and everything becomes clear to him... Jean looks from his hand to Marco's face again and see's the soft, caring expression on the brunettes face. 

"It's okay to be nervous, Jean." He murmurs, encouragingly.

" _Fuck I have to tell him before we go too far._ "

"It's not just that, Marco... It's..." He tries, but can't seem to force the words out, they get caught in his chest and he feels himself  choke on them a little. Whether it's the awkward embarrassment of his situation that is stopping them from emerging from his lips or whether something else is stopping them, he doesn't know, but now there is no going back and he knows that he has to tell Marco.

"Hm?" Marco hums inquisitively.

"It's... um... fuck... Okay Marco? Don't judge but-"

"-I won't and wouldn't" The freckled Jesus cuts in.

"Okay, thanks..."  Jean mumbles, accepting the reassurance gladly, glossing over the somewhat welcome interruption, before he lets it flood out. The words rolling off his tongue like pebbles from a sack.  

"IhaveneverreallydonethisbeforewithanyonethisismyfirsttimeandI'mkindofembarrassedbyit." He blurts frantically, squeezing his eyes shut. Feeling his face and neck flush bright pink. He cracks his eyes open and see's the same soft expression as before, graced with confusion as he sifts through all the words said to him at once before his eyes widen for a fraction of a second before saying, warmly.

" _God this is humiliating, I hope he doesn't think any differently of me..._ "

"Oh... shit Jean... That's... That's kinda important to you isn't it, then?." Marco asks cautiously, still getting used to the freedom of swearing. He shifts from over the top of Jean onto the bed next to him, resting on his elbow and looking at his fair haired boyfriend.

"Are... are you still comfortable? If it's your first time are you sure you want it to be here and now... with me?" 

"Why shouldn't It be here and now with you?" He asks his freckled boyfriend, a little bewildered that Marco is questioning  this decision... and almost his validity for Jean.

"I just thought that maybe, you wouldn't want to rush it? It might be too soon?" Marco ventures, his concern for Jean obvious and his tone soft and caring. Jean looks to those warm brown eyes and already has his answer. He smiles warmly before answering in a soft voice.

"Listen Marco, I don't want it to be with anyone but you." He admits and almost dies from the pure the joy exuded from Marco's expression. 

"So w-why not now?" He adds, his voice cracking halfway through the sentence, nerves biting the pit of his stomach. 

"Why not now?" Marco agrees softly and warmly, his smile settling down on his face.

" _Holy fuck I am so ready... yet not at all ready... but I really want this... And I'm kinda happy that my first time will be with him... Actually I'm fucking ecstatic, but terrified obviously... That's normal though, right?._ " He thinks to himself and for a little while, they just gaze at eachother and Jean feels his anxiety about the situation starting to fade, feeling his entire self calming under the soft stare of Freckles' deep hazel eyes.

" _I'm gonna be ok... It's Marco..._ " He tells himself, his breathing steadying and his heart rate slowing.

"Is this happening then?" Jean asks, a little shakily, nervousness still clipping his voice, the remaining nervousness is still being battled by the pure warmth of Marco, who nods, smiling and he whispers.

"If that is what you want."

Jean smiles and closes his eyes, covering for the feeling of having his heart leap into his mouth.

" _I will not be beaten by nerves now._ "  He thinks, opening his eyes. He takes a moment to breath before he makes his move and kneels up, pushing Marco down onto the bed. He lifts one leg over Marco and puts his knee next to his hip, straddling his waist and resting himself rest on Marco, letting his muscles carry him, not really thinking about the enormity of what was going to happen.

"Jean?" Marco whispers, a little concerned. "Are you sure you want to... y'know, take it?" Jean halts and thinks before answering.

"I... I don't know? I guess... that's how I imagined it... and I want to, too." He Leans across to his bedside cabinet and pulling out a few packets of condoms and a half empty bottle of lube, not really letting Marco interrupt him or make him doubt his choice, because he wants this... as soon as possible really. The lube has only ever used for 'alone' purposes before and it feels odd getting them out in front of someone else, the thought of someone else having to use it with him is oddly arousing.

" _Pull yourself together Jean, he is going to be **in**  you in a second, stop wor-oh fuck... that's a scary thought... He is going to be... in me... It's also... Yeah that's fucking sexy too._" After a few seconds of thought, Jean decides he wants nothing more than for that to happen. He looks down to Marco's beautiful, searching eyes and puts a hand over his heart, finding comfort once again in the quick thrum of the taller man's pulse. Marco smiles up at him, seemingly understanding everything Jean is feeling. His hand moves to Jean's cheek and he gently strokes Jean's cheekbone with his thumb, long fingers reaching their tips into the short hair of his undercut. He draws Jean down into a lavish kiss that sparks everything. It is hot, wet, deep yet slow, passionate and delicate and not at all enough as Jean soon realises as he can sense everything: Their hot breath mingling as they breath slowly through their noses, he can feel their shirts bunch up as they press together, Marco's body heat, The heat of their lips together. He pulls back slightly, feeling Marco's tongue slide from between his lips. 

He mumbles breathlessly against Marco's lips "Too... Too many clothes."  

Marco chuckles breathily and murmurs back"I agree" before sliding his hands under Jean's T-shirt, feeling the searing hot skin and firm muscle underneath. Jean mirrors Marco's movements, leaning back down and kissing him quickly before their tops are pulled slowly off their bodies and they see each-others chests. Jean catches Marco's eyes wandering all over him, he looks down and exhales appreciatively. Eyes roaming over the muscles that he never even suspected that Marco possessed.

"Shit, Marco. Let's do this." He says, the lust creeping into his voice before placing both hands on Marco's chest then tentatively and experimentally grinding his hips down on his boyfriend's crotch, needily. Marco hisses and Bites his lip, squeezing his eyes closed and reaching up to put his hands on Jean's hips. Jean looks down at the effect he just had on the taller boy, seeing his flushed features, the look of abject pleasure on his face with his bitten lip and his scrunched eyes, and then feeling how solid Marco is underneath him makes him equally as hard.

He grinds down again, harder this time and Marco moans deeply, his breath leaving him and his fingers digging into Jean's hips. Jean licks his lips, a feeling of discovery and excitement. He presses down for a third time and Marco's hands fly from Jean's hips to the back of his head, fingers threading through his hair before tugging him down into a bruising kiss. Jean is distracted from the warmth of the skin of their chests pressing together when he feels Marco's tongue on his lips, he parts them and let's it slide between, deepening the addictive kiss. He moves his hips back to press harder and the sudden change in friction causes Marco to groan into his mouth as they kiss, the groan devoid of all innocence, the vibrations from the sound reverberate around Jean's body and he pulls back, their lips connected by a string of saliva.

Marco looks at him in a way that can only mean one thing. His expression not hiding anything. The desire in his eyes, the swollen, parted lips, the heavy breathing from the kiss and the friction Jean is causing is clearly driving him wild.

"Jean.." He gasps and Jean decides that now it is time to act on it.

He shifts back, kneeling across Marco's thighs before moving his hands, letting his fingers trace lines down his Boyfriends chest until they reach the button of his jeans.

 " _Here goes._ " He thinks before unfastening it, seeing the elastic top of Marco's boxer shorts. He licks his lips eagerly as he moves his hands a little lower and fingers the elastic, watching as his Freckles comes undone at the teasing anticipation of the touch, before reaching inside and hearing Marco hiss and moan, the taller boy writhing underneath him.

 


	8. The morning after

 Marco's eyes open slowly, fourteen hours later, and he groans softly. Nothing unusual there as he wakes up. He squints against the sunlight, the light assaulting his tired eyes. He looks around to get his bearings, not recognising the room at first but he soon remembers everything. He remembers the kiss, he remembers being pushed over and straddled by Jean. He remembers the experimental and eager way that Jean had treated him at first. He remembers Jean's expression, twisted in elated pleasure as the night went on. He remembers calling Jean's name in desperation and having his name echoed back at him with equal need and lust. He remembers fully breaking out of his 'No swearing' mentality, screaming a thousand curses, occasionally harmonising with Jean as they rode out physical ecstasy together.

He remembers thinking afterwards as they were recovering in their post orgasmic bliss, that, if this is a quiet tower, then a lot of people will have heard the obnoxiously loud and indecent noises tearing themselves from both of their mouths. But looking back, he does not give a shit.

He remembers falling asleep in Jean's arms, lips pressed against the shorter man's forehead as they held each-other close. Shivering through the aftershock, bodies permeated with the reducing effects of the pleasure, before comfortably sinking into an easy sleep.

Looking back, now Marco thinks that it was probably the best time he has had with anyone. There was more feeling, more emotion... more devotion to it than ever before. There was an intimacy that he had found so easily with Jean that had taken days or weeks with other people.

" _This is crazy, I've known him for literally eighteen hours._ " He thinks to himself, managing to quell a certain 'L' word that keeps creeping into his mind, slyly trying to embed itself in the situation.

" _It is WAY too soon to start using that word, Marco... It's been eighteen hours... but... what else is it?  What else could all of last night be? I don't think I have actually ever felt this way with anyone before, I've felt similar to it... but this... this feeling is an exalted version of that . But it's not love, I'm sure it can't be love... not this early, give it time and yes, I will settle comfortably for it being love... but isn't it too soon to say?..._ " He sighs a little and senses around him, he feels the other warm presence in the bed beside him and he turns onto his side and he immediately casts his eyes on Jean's tranquil face, expression calm and breathing slow and steady. Marco looks at the contradictory cute yet handsome face, a hands distance from his.

" _But I definitley feel like last night was more than just sex, it meant more to Jean, it meant more to me... and not just because it was his first time either... if last night was more than just sex... Making love? Did we make love? Is that what we did?_ "

He pouts, the 'L' word drilling through a little outer shell that is trying to protect him from taking it it too fast. That expression on the face of the man next to him, the way his weirdly two toned hair has ruffled during his sleep, the memory of last night, all aiding that one 'L' word worm into his mind until it is safely nestled there, deep in his brain. His pout deepens.

" _No fair_." He thinks too himself, a little sulkily. " _Well, if I'm going to tell him, its probably b_ _est get it out while he can't hear me I guess. Sorry Jean, I don't know if you are ready to hear this yet._ " 

"Jean" He whispers, almost inaudibly, not wanting to wake "Yeah, I kinda... I guess I have fallen in love with you?"

He lets a moment of silence pass before he exhales.

it's never an easy sentence to say for the first time. Especially not when they are right there in front of you, even if they aren't conscious. He breathes a sigh of relief, even though it was only on his chest for just a few seconds, it felt good to get it out...

"Mmmm...What? Really?" Comes a mumble from the other occupant of the bed.

"...Shit!" Marco utters as he sucks in a breath, eyes widening in panic. 

" _HE WASN'T ASLEEP OH MY GOD!_ " His mind races and he hears a slight chuckle as Jean catches his curse, catching him in the act of his confession too.

"Marco... Do you really?" He asks earnestly, eyes still calmly shut and Marco suspects that he is still partially asleep, even though the sincere expression makes it look otherwise. 

"Is...Isn't it too soon to say that?" Marco asks hesitantly. 

"It's not too soon if that is what you really feel." Jean mumbles, sleep still blurring his speech slightly. He opens his eyes slowly, squinting against the slight glare of the sun. They meet Marco's eyes, deep gold piercing the deep hazel of the freckled student's and his breath catches in his throat.

It's never an easy sentence to say for the first time, or even the second time... Especially not when they are in fact awake to hear you saying it, looking at you, already knowing what you have to say because they weren't unconscious the first time you said it either.

"Um... Jean... Damn it, why is it so hard to say? You've already heard... ok... Jean..." He begins, faltering heavily and stumbling catastrophically over his words.

"I do think that's how I really feel, and if that means that it isn't too soon to say it. I am pretty sure... No forget that... I  _am_  in love with you Jean."

 There is a silence after those final words as Jean lets the words sink in, gazing into Marco's eyes... well they would if Marco's eyes weren't darting over Jean, nervously. 

" _Shit that was bigger than it sounded in my head. I hope he doesn't like... kick me out or something..._ "

Jean watches Marco's nervous flickering eyes before breaking the silence.

"Just... look at me for a moment Marco." He reaches up through the sheets so that his hand can come to rest Marco's cheek, stilling him a little. Marco's eyes lock onto Jean's, instantly calmed.

" _What's he going to say? What's he going to say?_ " Marco thinks desperately before his rational side kicks in. " _Well I haven't been kicked out... yet... and his hand is on my cheek and ohhh its so nice... it can't be too bad..._ "

"Marco... I have something to admit... I have used you..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *ahem* prince hans *ahem


	9. False Alarms and Lucky Charms

"Marco... I have something to admit... I have used you..."

...

The words take a few seconds to process in Marco's mind before he sits bolt upright, looking down at Jean. Deep brown eyes wide in anger, disbelief and hurt. A stab of betrayal runs throughout him and he feels like he is falling. He feels himself growing cold, from the core outwards and tears prick the corner of his eyes. He searches the man next to him for any hint that this is some kind of joke... but he finds nothing. Jean's expression is impassive, serious and his eyes are staring, no sign of guilt, no sign of regret, no sign of fallacy either.

" _No... He can't... I can't..._ _"_ Marco thinks desperately. His entire body frozen from shock, willing this to be a dream, willing it to be anything that isn't this, anything that isn't reality.

Jean smirks and props himself up on one elbow.

"I got you to say it to me..." He begins, smirk on his lips still.

Marco has no intention of hearing the next words, he just sits there in shock, mentally bracing himself against Jean's words, a single tear working its way from his right eye down his cheek, he feels the lump in his throat as he tries to hold back the tears, a few more slipping past his barriers and down his cheeks... If he wasn't feeling so crushed he would gladly take that smirk of Jean's face... 

" _How could he do that? Make me confess to him... he fucking used me..._ _I don't want to hear his explanation, I can't hear it._ " Comes the horrified and betrayed mantra from his head.

"I made you to say it to me again because..." Jean pauses for a second and the cocky, stupid, disgusting smirk drops a little to an... an earnest, yet sad... apologetic smile...

" _Wait... what... what does that smile mean...?_ "

"I didn't have it in me to say it to you first..." He finishes, his voice taking a similar apologetic tone, although this one is tinged with admittance.

His smile broadens across his face as he watches what he just said sink in. Marco's broken expression crumbles and is replaced by one of hope and confusion. Marco watches as Jean raises his hand to his cheek, wiping away that single tear.

" _He made me say it... because he couldn't say it first... that... what... he didn't use me...?_ "

"You mean-"

"I love you too, you dork" He laughs and immediately Marco's expression is caught between overjoyed, angry, exasperated, disbelieving and sulky. His feelings of betrayal fade instantly and he suddenly is overwhelmed by a desire to get revenge on his boyfriend for tricking him. He grabs his pillow without hesitation and swings it at a stunned and an unsuspecting Jean. Hitting him in the face. Getting a very rewarding " _Oof._ " sound. He swings again and again and then he hits his arms when they come to protect his face, then his body when he thinks he is safe from pillow-pelting. Marco doesn't stop until he is exhausted, by this time he has hit his boyfriend so many times that his arms ache.

"Jeaaaaaannnnnn" he whines childishly, throwing the pillow away, out of breath but emerging from his onslaught smiling, nonetheless. "That was cruel, I thought you honest-to-god used me." He mumbles sulkily. Jean lowers his arms from his face slightly, peeking out to see if it is safe before lowering them completely. Marco slumps and crosses his arms, pouting dramatically.

"Gotcha" He says, beaming at Marco, winking and pointing, childish giggle bubbling behind his words. Marco makes a lunge to grab Jean's pillow out from underneath him and Jean's arms shoot right back up to protect himself, full on giggling now . "Okay, Okay... I kinda deserved it, didn't I?"

"You are damn right you deserved it, you bastard." Marco snaps, sharply but all in jest, covering up how frantically overjoyed he actually is.

"You're face was priceless." Jean giggles.

"So was yours" Marco says as an automatic response, not even thinking before saying it.

" _That makes no sense Bodt... Hang on... maybe it does..._ " He thinks, hiding his sly grin that is begging to break out at his little idea.

"What... When?!" Jean barks, genuinely confused by Marco's sudden retort, eyebrows slanting inwards in a frown.

"Last night" Marco quips, cheekily, in a sing-song voice. Shooting a devilish grin at Jean as the fair haired man turns an amusing shade of pink.

"Okay, how stupid did I look?" He asks in resignation, groaning. Mortified. He covers his rosy face with his hands and closes his eyes and Marco's face changes from a devious grin to warm and caring within milliseconds.

"You didn't..." He assures, before admitting "It was kinda hot... Okay it was very hot..." Feeling a little bit of embarrassment working into his words at the confession.

"Oh?" Jean asks, hopefully, pulling his hands down from his face, cracking one eye open.

"Er... yeah... It made me feel... special... I was the first person ever to see you make that face... and it made me feel... Yeah, It made me feel special." Marco continues to admit, a little solemnly, blush not fading from his cheeks though.

"Whoa, don't start getting deep on me now" Jean interjects and holds his hands up defensively, as if to ward off strong emotions and seriousness. Marco smiles innocently.

"No, you're right... I did that last night." The innocent smile returning to the devious, once again, is freckled cheeks flushing a little more.

"Whaaaa...-Fuck! Marco!"

"Sorry... I couldn't resist." He says, his smile wide, out of pride at his quick pun.

"You got me on that one." Jean chuckles, before looking at Marco, his expression falling to a serious one.

 "I'm sorry for tricking you, Freckles, it was kinda mean... but when I heard you confess... I wanted to as well... But I couldn't do it... I needed you to say it again but after you did I panicked and tried to find another way to tell you... I backed out and then I chose the worst way to go about telling you... I'm sorry... C'mere." He sits up and holds his arms out to Marco.

"Am I forgiven?" Marco nods slowly and smiles his beautiful warm smile, shuffling up to Jean, holding out his arms too. Their hips bump as they move into an embrace, Marco tilts his hips a little, hooking one leg over Jean's to make the embrace more comfortable before burying his head into Jean's shoulder. Jean nuzzles the dark hair of his boyfriend and mumbles. "Good morning by the way." He feels Marco's hot breath on his shoulder as he laughs and mutters back, voice muffled.

"Good morning to you too" He hums and they stay there, relaxing, breathing, thinking and just simply existing with one another. After about half an hour of just sitting there, cuddling in the soft light from the outside world, marco feels his stomach grumble.

" _That's right... I haven't eaten since lunchtime yesterday..._ "

"Jeeeean?" He cooes.

"Yes Marco?"

"I'm really fucking hungry... do you have any food?" He asks bluntly and Jean laughs gently, nodding.

"Yeah... but I can  _feel_  that you might need to put some pants on before going about daily life" He chuckles, referring to the skin on skin contact of their hips. Marco looks up and scans the room and see's his boxers flung to the other side of the room. He sighs

"Dammit Jean. You threw them over  _there_?" He asks, mock exasperation in his tone, looking at Jean with faux and condescending disgrace.

"Whaaaat?" He asks, a light-hearted guilt coating his voice. "I was excited okay?" His cheeks flushing a little at the memory and Marco grins before turning his head a little, placing his lips on Jean's. He feels Jean smile into the kiss and he gives it another few seconds before pulling back.

 "You threw them over there so I would have to go and get them didn't you, so you can look at me?" He murmurs, accusingly before squinting, like a cowboy staring down his opponent.

"I'm onto you Kirschtein."

Jean looks stunned before his expression turns to one of mock-outrage.

"I did no such thing Bodt." He counters.

He rolls his eyes then smiles softly at Jean before pulling back the covers and climbing out of bed. He walks over to where his underwear is, underneath the window on the south wall and he can feel Jean's eyes on his back like a physical force.

"You're staring Jean." He states, bluntly and confidently, and the spluttering he hears coming from the other man confirms his suspicions.

"I was not... it's just your back is so freckly and really kinda toned and-oh" He chokes off as Marco bends down to pick his boxers off the floor, eyes finding something new to stare hopelessly at.

"Now I know you are staring at my butt. You only have yourself to blame, y'know. " He declares whilst lifting the garment up. 

"I...uh... I might have been." Jean stutters in an awkward reply and Marco knows that his face is beet red. He slips his boxers on slowly, admiring the silence that he has drawn from Jean. After the pants are kinda vaguely around his hips, he turns to face Jean who is still sat in bed, obviously staring, the crumpled white sheets at waist level. Marco smirks at the pink faced Jean and says with false impatience.

"C'mon, lets get breakfast... where do you keep the cereal?" 

"Ok, wait for me. I'll show you." he mutters, reluctantly climbing out of bed. He moves  to pick up his underwear and Marco watches and appreciates him.

" _He stared at me... I'm going to stare at him... It's not like I couldn't, even if I didn't want to..._ " He thinks as his eyes follow Jean, moving to his underwear on the floor.

"Stop staring." The shorter man shoots and Marco realises that Jean is in fact watching him stare. His mouth turns up at the corners as he see's the pink return to Jean's face.

"Jeaaaaan... we had sex last night and you are getting worked up over me looking at you?" He pouts. "You stared at me, why can't I  _lovingly gaze_  at you?" _  
_

"Do you want cereal or not, Freckles?" Jean threatens with a playful scowl on his brow, rosy pink cheeks and an exaggerated squint over his eyes.

"I want cereal." Marco confirms, defeated by the threat of no cereal. Nodding his head then averting his eyes grudgingly from a still-rather-naked Jean.

"Then be quiet." Jean warns, tugging his boxers on. "Now follow me." He finishes before walking around the bed to grab Marco's hand. Marco feels their fingers lace easily and their palms press together. Jean smiles at him, before he  pulls him out of the bedroom door to the kitchen area where he reaches up and opens a cupboard, revealing several boxes of cereal.

"Take your pick" he says before letting go of Marco's hand and moving away to the fridge where he opens it and takes out the milk. Marco looks up at the cereal, his eyes drawn to one red box in particular, his eyes go wide and he is sure that they are sparkling.

" _No way... He has lucky charms? Yes please._ " He thinks, eagerly, reaching up to snatch the box from the cupboard. Lucky charms had been banned from the entire Rose state for their ridiculous amount of sugar. He turns his head to Jean when there is a loud exclamation from his direction.

"Shit!"

"What is it?" Marco asks softly and visibly Jean calms a little at his voice.

"Um, Marco... The milk is out of date." He winces apologetically.

"It's okay, I usually eat cereal without milk." Marco confides, a smile widening across his face as he see's the confusion spread on Jean's face.

"Whaaaat the fuck? Oh my god you freak." He jests, sauntering up to Marco and punching him gently on the shoulder before glancing at the cereal box.

"Okay, Mr Dry-Cereal-Man, I have no option but to join you in your satanic cereal ritual... but only this time I will eat your freakishly un-milky cereal." He reaches into a cupboard and pulls out two black bowls and places them on the counter. He then opens a drawer above the cupboard and pulls out two spoons whilst Marco fills the bowls with the incredibly unhealthy cereal.

They both take a bowl and walk over to the living area. Marco picks up his phone from the side table as they pass, remembering that he had left it there last night... The Notification light is pulsing calmly. They sit on the sofa, Marco has his legs folded and is turned in Jean's direction slightly, the cereal bowl nestled in the gap within his crossed legs. He is holding his phone with both hands, looking at with more a mounting concern, using his thumb to scroll down the screen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tricked you, omg not prince hans at all.


	10. Calling Home

They sit on Jean's sofa, the cold leather warming up underneath them. Marco's Lucky Charms sit neglected in his lap as he scrolls through what Jean presumes are messages. Marco's concerned frown deepens as he grips his phone, scrolling through the messages. Jean, in turn, frowns, concerned for Marco's concern.

"What's up?"

Marco shakes his head.

"I think I should call Connie and Sasha." He mumbles, looking a little pale and he hands Jean the phone and tells him to read.

\---

**From: Sasha Braus- _Friday 9_ _:41pm_**

Marco where are you? I thought you said you would be back at 9:30.

**From: Sasha Braus- _Friday 9:54pm_**

Marco what are you doing? You are like, 25 minutes late.

**From: Sasha Braus- _Friday 10:12pm_**

Aren't my messages getting through?? C'mon Marco where are you?

**From: Connie Springer- _Friday 10:35pm_**

Ok man, you are an hour late now, why aren't you replying? Are you Ok?

**From:Connie Springer- _Friday 11:22pm_**

Marco, seriously this is not fun, text me or Sasha when you get this.

**From: Sasha Braus- Saturday _00:07am_**

Ok if you don't come home or at least call us by 12 then we are calling the police!

\---

Jean finishes scrolling and reads the last message, then he glances at the time. 10:27.

"You should definitely call them" He confirms to Marco and hands the phone back. Marco takes it and quickly switches the phone to speaker so that they can both hear the conversation. He presses the 'Call' button on Sasha's phone number, holding the phone inbetween them. They hear the dial tone then it rings once before it is answered hastily.

"MARCO?!" comes the shrill voice from the other end, a mixture of worry, happiness, relief and astonishment. Marco looks at Jean and they smile at eachother.

"Yeah, I'm here."

"OH, MARCO ARE YOU OK?!" Sasha almost screams.

"Yeah I'm fine."

"Phew... ok, ok... right... we thought Jean had kidnapped you." She admits, audibly calming herself down. Jean raises his eyebrows and interjects.

"Hey! I wouldn't do that!" Jean defends to Marco

"JEAN!? UM... I DIDN'T MEAN IT!" Sasha's voice raises to a high pitched squeal, obviously her phone is on speaker too as she heard Jean clearly.

"Um... okay?" Jean says, taken a little off guard... He didn't really think Sasha was going to hear him. He smiles at Marco who is on the verge between, being confused by the whole situation and having a great time listening to Sasha freak out.

"It was Connie's idea... He isn't here right now... but it was. Honest." Sasha says, her voice switching instantly to a hushed tone, confiding her innocence to Jean.

"It's ok, I wouldn't have held it against you." He says with a smile on his face, clearly amused now.

"GREAT! Hey, Jean, tell me. Are you two still in your apartment?" She asks innocently.

"Yeah... we are?" he says, looking at Marco for approval.

"Tell me Jean... How many bedrooms does your apartment have." She croons. And Marco imagines she would be twiddling her fingers in mock innocence.

"Um..." He looks at Marco again and the freckly man whispers.

"It's ok... you can tell them." And Jean smiles, a little uncertainly, but nods.

"There is one bedroom." He admits, looking at Marco every couple of seconds, giving him a look that questions " _Are you suuure?_ " The immediate response to Jean's reply is a muffled sound of excitement from the other end of the line. Both students nod at eachother as they think that what they hear is Sasha grinning... Loudly...

"Marcooooo, did you sleep on the sofa or the floor?" she asks after a couple of seconds, trying to keep up the innocent tone in her voice, but failing miserably.

"No I did not sleep on a sofa or the floor."

"Did you sleep in Jean's bed?" There is a little moment of silence after she asks this. Marco and Jean look at eachother and Marco nods, closing his eyes before answering, nonchalantly.

"Yes"

"Jean, Did you sleep on the sofa or the floor?"

"Um... No."

"Where did you sleep?" She says, her voice rising in pitch throughout the question from excitement.

"In Jeans bed" Jean replies unwaveringly and they both hear a large inhalation from the other end of the line, Jean looks Marco in the eye and they both roll them simultaneously in anticipation for the inevitable screaming response.

"YOU SLEPT TOGETHER!" She states loudly, trying to contain the excitement in her voice.

"Oh Freckles, why didn't you tell me?" Jean asks Marco in false wonderment and they can hear Sasha giggle.

"Freckles? What's freckles? Jean have you nicknamed Marco?" Sasha asks when her giggling dies down.

"Yeah I did... But only I can call him 'Freckles'." He says protectively, reaching over to pinch Marco's freckled cheek affectionately and they hear a small sigh from Sasha.

"Okay, this is too romantic for you two to not be a couple already... Hey...Did you... Y'know... Did you uummmmmm... do the do...? Frickle Frackle...?.... " she trails off after awkwardly finding synonyms for sex. There is a little stint of expectant silence as Sasha waits for an answer to her vague but obvious question before Jean whispers to Marco. 

"Do you want to do the honours?" and Marco nods, grinning, taking a deep breath. Gladly accepting the opportunity to surprise Sasha for once.

"Yes Sasha, we fucked. Are you happy?" He states matter of factly.

At the confirmation to her suspicions, Sasha screams with a excitement and underneath the loud screaming they can hear the sound of running footsteps.

"Sasha are you alright? Who is on the phone? Is it marco?" They hear Connie ask his room-mate, a little out of breath from running. Sasha doesn't stop screaming until she realises something.

"Hang on... You aren't the real Marco... You said 'fuck'... RIGHT I DEMAND A VIDEO CALL! PROVE THAT YOU ARE REAL!" She yells, almost like a detective.

" _At an interrogation._ " Marco adds silently, a little regretfully.

Marco glances at Jean  and rolls his eyes as Sasha ends the call. About three seconds later the prompt for a skype call flashes up on screen and Marco holds his phone on its side for the call before pressing 'Accept'. He holds the phone at arms length, to get both him and Jean in shot. Jean having to shuffle closer and lean his shoulder against Marco's to make sure he was in shot. (To which Marco has no complaints about) After a couple of seconds of connecting, Sasha's face appears on-screen with Connie behind her. Her eyes widen Immediately.

"YOU ARE BOTH NAKED! OH MY GOD!" she cries out, trying to cover her eyes with one hand as she holds her phone with the other. Marco and Jean both burst out laughing at her panicked reaction.

"We have pants on, it's ok, you can look, we aren't naked." He reassures her and she promptly removes her hand so she can get a proper look at Marco, she squints as she looks him up and down before nodding in tentative approval. 

"Ok... I guess you were right... You are Marco... How come you cussed before? what did I miss?" She asks, genuinely interested.

"Well" Marco starts before turning his head to look at Jean. "I have this bad influence right here." Pointing at Jeans face, poking the tip of his nose. Jean laughs then bats Marco's finger away and swipes a hand down his face, after it passes down he is wearing a look of unimpressed offence.

"Anyway, yeah I'm safe.." Marco continues, turning back to look at the camera.

"Actually... I am better than safe... Look." He adds, suddenly remembering Sasha's love for all things food. He lifts his bowl from his lap and he tilts the phone so she can see inside the bowl.

"Can you see what these are?" He teases, looking at Jean. There are a few seconds of silence, broken only by Sasha's heavy breathing as it dawns on her.

" **LUCKY CHARMS!?** " She screams and the audio crackles. Both students wince at the harsh noise but giggle at her insane reaction and Marco tilts the phone back so that it is looking at them, putting his bowl on the coffee table.

" **JEAN WHERE DO YOU GET**   **THEM** **!?** " She yells desperately. 

"I get them imported, Legally of course." Jean flashes them a grin and Sasha's voice turns into a whine.

"Marcoooo, no fair. You get Lucky charms for breakfast and you got a hot guy last night... You had better thank me. You too Jean. If it wasn't for me you would have never met our  _dear precious_  Marco." 

"The  _dear, precious_  Marco who you tortured by imitating his sex noises you whilst walking down 3rd street?" He winks, subtly disputing the ' _Dear, Precious_ ' claim.

"That very same Marco... actually, If i heard Sasha correctly... you do have experience now so you are very welcome to join us next time." Connie joins the conversation, winking.

"Guys can we not? It's embarrassing." Marco sighs, freckles fading into a blush that starts creeping onto his cheeks. Jean smiles and leans over to him and kisses a pink cheek, earning a collective 'awww' from the other end of the video call.

"Ok, Let's move on... ... One thing though." Jean mutters, looking back at the phone. "You two were right about him being loud." There is a second of silence before Connie, Sasha and Jean erupt into laughter and Marco is left sat there, blushing profusely. 

After the laughter dies down Sasha and Connie sigh and Connie speaks up.

"Yeah... we um... we have something to announce too." He says, excitement replaced by a mixture of pride and nervousness.

"Oh yeah, tell them." Sasha adds animately, catching on immediately, leaving Jean and Marco with building anticipation. 

"Ok so last night when you were missing... no you weren't missing, you were screwing eachother" Connie starts.

 "Jesus christ Connie, do you have to be so forward... anyway I didn't bottom all night." Marco corrects, smugly and Jean scowls and picks up a cushion and hits him.

"You didn't have to tell them that" He utters and the two room-mates have a small giggle but then Connie continues.

"Anyway yeah, we needed something to take our minds off you going missing, y'know?" He says, taking the tone of somebody trying to gain understanding to cushion a blow of some unpleasant news.

"I don't like where this is going." Marco mumbles and Jean just nods and sits there, ready to listen intently.

"Long story, short... We kind of had sex in your bed." Sasha finishes, becoming impatient, both of them looking at the floor instead of at the phone they are holding. There is a moment of silence before Jean breaks out into whole-hearted laughter and just collapses against Marco's freckled shoulder, body shaking and the laughter loud and clear. Marco on the other hand looks totally stunned and horrified, face paling in disgust. Jean pushes himself up but takes one look at his boyfriends face and collapses into a heap of ruining laughter, this time completely missing his shoulder and falling into Marco's lap, where he stays, Completely immobilised in hysterics.

"What?" Marco squeaks, forcing his voice out.

"Actually Connie... Maybe we shouldn't have told him that." Comes the slightly regretful response of his Maroon haired room-mate.

"What?" He asks again, his voice only cracking slightly this time, actually sounding like his voice, rather than a shocked, pathetic squeak.

"Yeah... We... Sorry? I guess?" Connie murmurs and Jean takes a deep breath, calming down a little.

"Burn them... Burn the sheets." Marco mutters after a few seconds of processing the information.  This sparks up Jean's laughter again and any chance had of recovering from it is cut down as he is reduced to an immobile pile of giggles.

"Um... Marco... where did Jean go?" Sasha asks, revealing her confusion for his disappearance. Marco tilts the phone down to show them a curled up Jean, head resting in his lap, eyes squeezed shut, Laughing silently, clutching at his chest.

"Can't... Breathe.." He gasps.

"You broke him." Marco accuses his room-mates.

"Marco... stoooop... can't... breathe!" He wheezes, his breath having completely left him. 

"I guess... um sorry is in order... another one?" Connie asks.

"Yeah, sorry Marco... we don't know how it happened... We Just-" Sasha adds with a rueful tone, foreign to her sprightly voice.

"-I don't want to fucking know." Marco mutters, cutting in and then shivering in repulsion. "Just, gimme new sheets and you are forgiven."

"Ummm okay... sorry again... It's good to know you are safe... We were really worried for you..." Connie says seriously, changing the topic but the change is not unwelcome.

"Yeah... Thanks guys." Marco smiles genuinely, he looks into the camera of the phone, giving them the forgiving smile before looking down at the fair haired man in his lap, sucking in air desperately, red faced and exhausted but recovering.

"You probably have to go now... you have some sheets to change." He adds, his smile turning to one with slight cunning.

"I guess so... Bye Marco" Sasha smiles, apologetically.

"Yeah, bye" Connie adds before the video clicks off. Marco puts his phone down on the arm of the sofa and breathes a sigh of relief. He notices a silence in the room, a tranquil silence, no loud room-mates, no loud hysteric laughter or the gasping for breath...


	11. A Dance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologise, I have no idea what happened to the storyline. But this is the last chapter and what else would round it off like dancing. Oh yeah.

Marco puts his phone down on the arm of the sofa and breathes a sigh of relief. He notices a silence in the room, a tranquil silence, no loud room-mates, no loud hysteric laughter or the gasping for breath...

" _Oh..._ _He isn't laughing anymore_ ". He realises, a little dimly. He looks down at Jean to find a very content Jean just looking up at him, pleasant smile on his upturned face.

"Wow."He says, in a slightly croaky but calm voice. In awe of Connie and Sasha.

"I'm surprised you aren't dead on your feet around them. They are unbelievable..." He says, incredulously.

"Although... if you want to keep me, I wouldn't mind hanging out with them, they seem fun." He smiles at Marco who rolls his eyes, grinning back.

"Of course I want to keep you" He leans down so his mouth hovering over Jean's at a ninety degree angle. "It's not like I'm  _using_  you." His grin widens, lips teasingly close.

"Oh come oooon. I thought I was forgiven." Jean complains jestingly, pouting.

"You are forgiven." Marco chides gently. "But I don't see a reason why I can't let you forget it." Leaning down an extra few centimetres and their lips connect at the adjacent angle, the kiss is awkward but the warmth that spreads between them is rewarding. Their lips pull apart as Marco sits back up, smiling happily. 

"C'mon get up, I want to eat now, I'm starving." He says chirpily.

"Can't I just stay down here while you eat? It's actually really comfy." Jean complains, wriggling as if trying to bury himself deeper in Marco's legs.

"You could... but then I'd probably steal your cereal too." Marco considers and Jean sits up in a flash.

"You stay the fuck away from my lucky charms, Bodt." He warns, snatching his bowl from the coffee table and holding it close to his chest, glaring at Marco. He shivers slightly as the cold ceramic touches his skin and moves to the opposite end of the sofa, his posture defensive and his eyes threatening . Marco chuckles and nods, picking his bowl up from the table. Jean looks him up and down warily before shuffling back to Marco and leaning against him, his head nestled in the crook of the freckled man's neck. 

They eat whilst sat in a comfortable silence, Jean's head resting on Marco's shoulder, the only sound being the crunching of dry cereal being eaten. The comfortable rhythm of the crunching and the silence that accompanies it is broken when Marco's phone vibrates and buzzes. He frowns and picks it up, unlocking it and then touching the screen to open a message. There is a moment of stillness before Marco chokes on his cereal.

"Fuck... What the hell Sasha?!" He splutters as he hands the phone to Jean, still coughing.

\---

**From: Sasha Braus- _Saturday 10:51am_**

One more question. How big his dick? 

\---

"Jesus christ!" He exclaims. Throwing the phone into Marco's lap. "What is actually with her?"

"I have no idea, she has always been like that. The solution is to give her food usually. That stops her and she gets distracted." Marco mutters, grinning at his boyfriend, who giggles childishly, before he looks back to his bowl and scoops out the last of the cereal.

He stands up and takes his bowl to the kitchen, feeling warm and fuzzy at the strange domesticity of it. He reaches the sink and puts his bowl in before looking back at Jean. Seeing that his deep gold eyes are following him, gazing at his freckled back. He smiles, waves and Jean blushes, snapping out of his trance. He looks back at the sink but notices a Radio sitting on the counter nearby.

" _The silence is nice but it is a little overbearing._ " He thinks.

"Jean? Can I turn the radio on?" 

"Yeah, sure" Comes Jean's reply from the living area. Marco presses the 'on' button and instantly recognises the song...

' _Happy_ ' by Pharrell.

"Oh fuck, this song again?" Marco asks disappointedly and Jean hums in agreement.

"I know right? Can't they play something else? They always play this song." 

Marco washes his bowl and begins to feel a little exposed wearing only his boxers, even though he is only here with Jean. He had started to feel a little bit under-dressed as he left the sofa for the kitchen.

" _Jean won't mind if I borrow his clothes... right?_ " He thinks. " _It'll be cute and it's kind of very... boyfriend-y... He won't mind._ "

"I'll be right back" He calls to Jean from his place in the kitchen and he waits a moment for Jean's response, a small excitement building in his stomach.

" _I'm getting excited about wearing his clothes... This is very much true love..._ " 

"K" comes the reply from the sofa and he glances back to see Jean's eyes on him again.

He smiles and shakes his head at Jean's low effort answer and at Jean's inability to take his eyes off him for more than five minutes. He takes one last look at walking out of the kitchen to the bedroom. Coming back to it he notices how much of a tip it has become, the bed is messy, the sheets crumpled and the duvet all scrunched and lopsided. There are clothes all over the floor, a tied condom that has landed next to a bin, the thick, musty smell of sex hanging in the air and he just stands there for a moment, just inside the doorway, letting it all sink in and he smiles to himself.

" _This has been really crazy.._ _. I am loving every second of this, even that phone call... I think it's Jean... He's definitely doing this to me..._ " He thinks momentarily, still a bit bewildered by it all. He shakes his head, snapping himself back from his thoughts and then goes to the wardrobe and rummages through the clothes, he struggles to find any properly lazy and comfortable clothes... searching past kilos of skinny jeans and flannel shirts until he finds a pair of unused baggy grey jogging pants and simple red T-shirt.

" _They'll do... they look the most comfortable right now... I mean I could wear my clothes..._ " He reasons, pulling them out of the wardrobe. " _But where is the fun in that?_ " He asks himself rhetorically... which, retrospectively is a pretty weird thing to do... 

He holds the clothes up before putting the shirt on the bed and slipping on the pants. He then picks the shirt up and pulls that on too... The shirt turns out to be a little tight... or maybe 'snug'... but the pants fit well and he finds a mirror on the inside of the wardrobe door and looks at himself, he nods once as if agreeing with the lazy, no effort look before turning and walking back to the main room, leaving the mess and the smell of sex behind him.

He is about to announce his return when the DJ on the radio announces the next song, interrupting him.

" _Okay so up next we have another from the top forty, one of your favourites. Here is 'Rather Be' By Clean Bandit._ "

Marco stops and grins, looks over to where Jean is sat, frozen with a blush on his face, face turned to look out of the south window, shoulders squared and an obvious avoidance to Marco's gaze.

" _This should be fun._ " Marco thinks... an idea springing into his head.

"Jean" 

"No." Comes the immediate response and Marco's smile widens.

"Jeeaan"

"Marco" He warns, unsure about what he is warning his freckly lover against, but he warns him anyway.

"Jeeeaaaan, c'mon" He pleads, pouring as much childish keen into his voice as possible whilst letting a spring bounce his step as he walks to the sofa . He stands in front of Jean, hands on his hips, looking down at a slightly timid Jean. But he waits a second before he takes Jean's hands and pulls him up. Tugging slightly at the reluctant man.

"Hey! you're wearing my." He says, a tinge of intrigue and endearment in his voice as he tries to avoid focusing on the determined look that Marco has in his beautiful deep brown eyes and the grin plastered on his face, like he has a plan.

"Umm, yeah... do you like them?"

"Yeah... yeah, i do" Jean admits, hanging his head a little in embarrassment and Marco laughs.

"Anyway c'moooon Jean, lets daaaance." He says childishly, almost wailing.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Jean asks, apprehensively, his eyebrows raising.

"Nope" Marco shakes his head, grinning like a maniac, pulling a resistant boyfriend to the more open space of the apartment.They stop at the centre, behind the sofa, in-between the living area and the kitchen and Jean shakes his head, hands held in Marco's.

"Do you even know how to dance?" He asks and the dark haired man shakes his head, smiling happily.

"It just seems like fun" Marco smiles his sweetest smile before he starts hesitantly moving along to the beat, mouthing the lyrics to the song.

"I can't believe I'm doing this." Jean mutters incredulously to himself before starting to move along with his freckled boyfriend. It isn't long before they are letting themselves go and dancing along freely, together. Jean smiles to Marco as they dance, allowing himself to be spun round, held at arms length and before long his smile develops into an idiotic grin, filled with a giddy elation. He starts singing along to the irresistible song and Marco Joins him, singing the song that set the ball rolling for their new yet incredible relationship.

_We staked out on a mission,  
_ _To find our inner peace,_

_Make it everlasting,  
So nothing's incomplete,_

_It's easy being with you,  
_ _Sacred simplicity,_

_As long as we're together,  
There's no place I'd rather be._

Jean spins Marco and brings them face to face before spinning him away, both of them laughing at the ridiculousness of the situation but trying to sing along anyway. Marco brings them close again before tugging Jean to one side and ducking under his arm and turning back to face him, switching their positions before harmonising with him for the Chorus.

_If you gave me a chance, I would take it_   
_It's a shot in the dark, but I'll make it_   
_Know with all of your heart, you can't shame me_   
_When I am with you, there's no place I'd rather be_   
_N-n-n-no, no, no, no place I'd rather be_

Marco brings him close again, their chests pressing together, re-taking his free hand after the spin. Jean laces their fingers together and  as the song comes towards the end they start moving together, as one, still dancing, but slowly, and remaining pressed together, not wanting to part, marco brings their hands down to their sides... Their voices declining through the full on vocals of before to something softer, more intimate and their beaming smiles become softer too as their gazes meet and lock.

_N-n-n-no, no, no, no place I'd rather be_

Their fingers squeeze eachothers gently and their bodies press closer, their voices becoming even softer. Their movement coming to a slow stop as they stand there, gazing into eachothers eyes. They rest their foreheads together and the next line of the song comes as a whisper as they move their lips slowly closer.

_N-n-n-no, no, no, no place I'd rather be_

Their lips come together and they sacrifice the last line of the song for a kiss, their faces hot and flushed from dancing, their lips soft and gentle, smiles still lingering and their warm smooth hands squeezing their partners. Their eyes gazing softly before closing and exhaling in unison and their heads tilting. Lips slotted snugly between one another.

_When I am with you, there's no place I'd rather be._

**Author's Note:**

> This will be posted really quickly as I already have all of the content, I just need to split it up.


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